
>Il!.\°. 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



SHORT AND PRACTICAL 

FUNERAL ADDRESSES 



BY THE 

REV. ANTHONY HAYES 

•f 



NEW YORK 
JOSEPH F. WAGNER 

LONDON. ST. LOUIS, AND FREIBURG (BADEN): B. HERDER 



: *N 



^■S» 



litfjtl ®bstat 

REMIGIUS LAFORT, D.D. 

Censor 



Imprimatur 

JOHN CARDINAL FARLEY 

Archbishop of New York 



New York, February 12, 1914 



Copyright, 1914, by Joseph F. Wagner, New York 

JlIN J//g; 4 

' ©CI.A37G329 
K 0/ 



s> 



" PREFACE 

-n 
At funerals it will often be the desire of the priest to address 

a few words of comfort and encouragement to the bereaved, 

pointing out to them the only Source where true consolation 

may be found. 

Moreover, these are usually occasions when some words of 
advice and admonition will be listened to with benefit by all 
those assembled. 

The present volume is, for the most part, a free adaptation 
of an old German book by the Rev. H. Nagelschmitt. While 
much of this book would not be profitably employed by the 
preacher of the present day, and is therefore replaced here 
by more suitable matter, the real excellence of the work was 
found in its great wealth of scriptural quotations, a most 
appropriate and valuable feature in addresses of this kind. 

It is hoped that the thought, suggestion, and argument, 
together with the many apt quotations from Holy Scripture, 
in these addresses will prove useful to the Reverend Clergy. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I. Two Funeral Sermons by St. John Chrysostom. I . . 1 

II. II 5 

III. The First Burial of the Ecclesiastical Year 9 

IV. The Lord is Nigh. (Advent) 12 

V. Life in the Light of the Blessed Nativity (Christmastime) 15 

VI. Death in the Light of the Blessed Nativity. (Christ- 
mastime) 18 

VII. A Glance at the Burial Record. (End of the Year) . 21 

VIII. At the Threshold of Eternity. (New Year's) .... 24 

IX. Departure from this World. (Candlemas) 27 

X. The Candle an Image of Human Life. (Candlemas) . 30 

XL In Lent 33 

XII. Blessed Comfort at the Grave 36 

XIII. In Holy Week 39 

XIV. Christ Teaches Us How to Die. (The Last Seven 

Words) 42 

XV. Our Saviour in the Hour of Our Death 46 

XVI. Mary Magdalen at the Grave of Our Lord. (Easter- 
time) 50 

XVII. The Christian's Hope 53 

XVIII. Warnings of Death 57 

XIX. Whither Goest Thou? 60 

XX. The Day of Accounting 63 

XXI. Behold, a Dead Man was Carried Out 66 

XXII. Conduct Towards the Sick 69 

XXIII. The Wedding Garment 72 

XXIV. The Wrong Way of Providing 75 

XXV. The Fevers of the Soul 79 

XXVI. Sown in the Spirit 81 

XXVII. About Sickness 84 

XXVIII. Our Duty in Sickness 88 

XXIX. The Deathbed 91 

XXX. The Holy Viaticum . 95 

XXXI. Extreme Unction 100 

XXXII. Mass for the Dead 103 

XXXIII. Prayers for the Dead 106 

XXXIV. Preparing for Death 109 

XXXV. The Grave 112 

XXXVI. The Grave of the Just 115 

XXXVII. The Rest in the World Beyond 118 



vi CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XXXVIII. The Three Dwellings of the Christian 122 

XXXIX. The Faith in Christ, our Consolation 126 

XL. How Christians Confess Their Saviour in Death . . 130 

XLI. The Immortality of the Soul 133 

XLIL Meeting in the Life Beyond 137 

XLIII. Work Good While There is Time 140 

XLIV. The Warning Voice of the Grave 143 

XLV. Suffering Leads to God 146 

XLVI. Comfort in Suffering 149 

XLVII. The Night of Death for Body and Soul 154 

XLVIII. Save Thy Soul ■ 159 

XLIX. The One Thing Necessary 162 

L. If Christ is Our Life, then Death is Our Gain ... 165 

LI. Our True Home 169 

LII. Our Hope in Death 173 

LIII. The Christian View of Life 175 

LIV. The Uncertainty of Being Saved 179 

LV. Think of Death 182 

LVI. How May We be Saved? 185 

LVIL In Cases of Sudden Death. I 188 

LVIII. II 190 

LIX. III 193 

LX. IV 196 

LXI. V 199 

LXII. VI 201 

LXIII. In Cases of Great Suffering. I 203 

LXIV. II 205 

LXV. III 207 

LXVI. IV 210 

LXVII. V 213 

LXVIII. For Burials of Children I 215 

LXIX. II 218 

LXX. III 220 

LXXI. IV 223 

LXXII. V 225 

LXXIII. VI 228 

LXXIV. VII 230 

LXXV. VIII 232 

LXXVI. IX 234 

LXXVII. Burials of Youths and Maidens. I 236 

LXXVIII. II 239 

LXXIX. III 242 

LXXX. IV 245 

LXXXI. V 248 

LXXXII. VI 251 

LXXXIII. VII 253 

LXXXIV. For the Burial of a Bride 255 

LXXXV. Burials of Persons of Advanced Age. I 258 

LXXXVI. II 260 



CONTENTS vii 

PAGE 

LXXXVII. Burials of Persons of Advanced Age. Ill 263 

LXXXVIIL IV 265 

LXXXIX. Burials of Married Persons, Widowers and Widows. I 268 

XC. (Death in Childbirth) II 270 

XCI. III 272 

XCII. IV 274 

XCIII. V 276 

XCIV. VI 279 

XCV. VII 281 

XCVI. VIII 283 

XCVII. IX 286 

XCVIII. X 289 

XCIX. XI 292 

C. XII 294 

CI. Burials of Priests. I 296 

CII. II 301 

CIII. III 304 

CIV. For the Burial of a Teacher 307 

CV. For the Burial of a Physician 309 

CVI. For the Burial of a Builder 312 

CVII. For the Burial of a Soldier 314 

CVIII. Burials of Officials. I 316 

CIX. II 320 

CX. III 323 

CXI. Burial of a Servant . 325 

CXII. Burials of the Poor. I 327 

CXIII. II 330 

CXIV. Burials of Unfortunates. I 332 

CXV. II 334 



SHORT AND PRACTICAL FUNERAL 
ADDRESSES 

TWO SERMONS 
By St. John Chrysostom 



But some man will say: How do the dead rise again? or with what 
manner of body shall they come? (1. Cor. XV, 35.) 

Having demonstrated the future resurrection, St. John Chrysostom answers the 
objections of grief-stricken mourners, and states the reasons that should 
console us in bereavement. 

Being destined to enjoy such great possessions, let us keep 
them in mind, let us not weep for those that die, but only 
for those who die in sin. Remember the tiller of the soil. 
He does not bewail the destruction of the seed; on the con- 
trary, he is afraid lest it remain unchanged in the soil; the 
destruction of the seed is welcome to his heart, for it means 
that the plant will arise. Thus, let us be glad when the 
frail body of man collapses, when it is sown in the deep earth. 
The Apostle says, to bury is to sow; for, truly, this is the 
better sowing. The birth of man is followed by toil, peril, 
hardship, and destruction; but death is followed, if we have 
lived a good life, by reward and by the crown of victory. 
Birth is the beginning of perishableness, but death is the be- 
ginning of imperishableness, incorruption, immortality, and 
invaluable possessions. There it is concupiscence, but here 
the Almighty Word from heaven, that calls to life. And he 
who rises from a good death does not begin another trouble- 
some life, but a life that knows not pain, nor sorrow, nor 
lamentation. If you then seek aid and protection, as hitherto 
afforded you by the deceased, then weep no more, but trust 

1 



2 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

in the Protector, Defender, Keeper, and Benefactor of us 
all — in God, our invincible Guardian, ever ready to help, 
our Shelter and Protection, always and everywhere. 

You say, " The friendship of the deceased was sweet and 
precious to me." I well know what that means. But let 
reason master your violent grief; consider who He is that 
took him away, and if you bear your affliction with fortitude, 
and humbly bring this sacrifice unto God, then you will lay 
this storm, and wise thought will do at once for you what 
otherwise is left for time to heal. Remember, if you should 
lack this fortitude, the mastering of your grief worked by 
time will bear no merit to you. 

In addition to these reasons, recall the examples from the 
present life cited in Holy Writ. Recall Abraham, ready to 
sacrifice his son, without a tear, without a word of complaint. 
You may say this was a saint, called for high things. Yes, 
and you are called for even higher things. True, Job did 
weep, moved by a father's love and tenderness for his de- 
parted children. But we are proving ourselves inimical to 
the best interest of our beloved. If you would complain and 
lament at seeing your friend taken to the palace of the King 
to be crowned, I should not consider you his well-wisher, but 
his enemy and antagonist. 

You say, "I do not weep for him, but for myself !" But 
this proves not love, if you demand of your friend that, at 
the moment when the safe harbour and the crown are in 
his sight, he should be anxious for you and troubled because 
of your future. "But I do not know whither he has gone!" 
It is proper to hope that he died in the grace of God. "I 
weep for him because he may have died in sin!" If this is 
the reason you are weeping for the dead, you should come to 
his succour as best you can, not by weeping, but by prayer 
and supplication, by alms and good works. These things 



TWO SERMONS BY ST. CHRYSOSTOM 3 

are done with good reason; not without good purpose do we, 
in celebrating the divine mysteries, commemorate the de- 
ceased, and pray for him to the Lamb, who is present upon 
the altar and removes the sins of the world; we do this that 
the deceased may receive mitigation. Not in vain does the 
priest proclaim, in solemnizing the great mysteries of the 
altar: "For all those who expired in Christ, and for those who 
commemorate them." This would not be said if there were 
no commemoration of the dead; for we practise no decep- 
tion, and what we do is done by command of the Holy Ghost. 

Let us, therefore, hasten to his succour and remember him 
in our prayer. If Job's sacrifice was an atonement for his 
children, why do you doubt that our sacrifice will bring re- 
lief to the deceased? It is God's way to be merciful to one 
for the sake of the other, and St. Paul says: "that for this 
gift obtained for us, by the means of many persons, thanks 
may be given by many in our behalf" (2. Cor. I, 11). 

Hence, let us not neglect to help the deceased by praying 
for them, because we behold before our eyes the Sacrifice of 
Atonement for the whole world. Hence, we may pray con- 
fidently for the whole world, and remember the deceased, 
together with the martyred saints, the confessors, and bish- 
ops. For we are all one body, though some members are of 
greater merit than others. And it is possible that we may 
secure their full pardon by our prayers and sacrifices, and 
by the suffrage of those whose names we couple with the 
persons we pray for. 

Why, then, those tears, why this lamenting, if we may 
secure for the deceased the grace of pardon? "I weep 
because I am forsaken and have lost my support!" 
This you must never say. You have not lost God, and as 
long as you have God, He will be more to you than a husband, 
a father, a son, or a mother. It was God who did all things 



4 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

they did while they were alive. Remember this, and pro- 
claim with David: "The Lord is my light and my salvation, 
whom shall I fear?" (Ps. XXVI, 1). Say unto God: "Thou 
art the Father of the orphans, and the Protector of the wid- 
ows!" Look to Him for protection; His help will be vouch- 
safed when needed. 

"I have lost my son!" You must not say "lost": he 
is not dead, he slumbers; a temporary absence, not a loss, 
a journey from the worse to the better. Hence, rather than 
offend God, try to appease Him, try to obtain His mercy. 
In bearing your affliction with fortitude, you both will find 
relief — you and the deceased. Say with holy Job: "The 
Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away." Job did not say: 
"I would rather not have had children," no, he worshipped 
the Lord, and praising Him he said: "As it hath pleased the 
Lord, so be it done; blessed be the name of the Lord." He 
silenced the complaints of his wife by the admirable words: 
"Since we have received good things at the hand of God, 
why should we not accept the visitation He sends us in His 
wisdom?" Thy child was taken away, not by human hands, 
not by an enemy or traitor, but by God, who created him, 
who cares more for him than you do, who knows what is 
for his best. 

Such must be your thoughts when mourning. You must 
thank God for all things. If we accept this view, we shall 
obtain in this life peace of mind and, in the life to come, the 
eternal crown, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



n 

St. John Chrysostom points out that in our adversities we may become 
like unto the Martyrs, and tells what our sentiments should be at the 
death of our beloved. 

Do not let us lose courage in our adversity. He who gives 
way to concupiscence, and sleeps the sleep of the laggard, and 
seeks an indolent and luxurious life, has nothing in common 
with Christ. Near to Him is he only who realizes that he lives 
in probation and temptation, and who walks the straight and 
narrow path. Christ, too, suffered deprivation, and He said: 
"The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." Hence, 
be comforted if you are in distress, consider whose companion 
you will become, how you will be purified by the visitation, 
and what you will gain by it. Nothing is more disastrous to 
man than to offend God; if no offence be given to God, then 
no tribulation, no persecution, no disaster, need cause the 
mind any sorrow. Sorrow, no matter how great, will soon 
be overcome by a good conscience, like a spark of fire by 
water. St. Paul was ever joyful because he steadfastly trusted 
in God. Great as his sufferings were, he hardly seemed to 
feel them. Of course, being human, he was sensitive to pain, 
but it could not cast him down. Thus Abraham, the great 
patriarch, rejoiced despite his many afflictions. He was 
made to forsake his own country, and go on a long and weary 
journey into a foreign land, where he did not call a foot of 
land his own. Famine forced him to go from there again; 
then he lost his wife, there followed other adversities and 
dangers, and then came the hardest of all trials, the command 
to sacrifice his only son. Do not think that he did not suffer 

5 



6 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

because he readily obeyed God. No matter how pious and 
God-fearing, he was still a human being and could not deny 
nature. Yet nothing could down his courage; he stood his 
ground like a valiant warrior, and he remained victorious in 
every temptation. 

Equally of good cheer was St. Paul, rejoicing amidst the 
many temptations which surrounded him day by day. While 
he who is of that cheer cannot be sorely distressed by any 
tribulation, those who do not know this cheer are easily over- 
whelmed by affliction. They are like warriors badly armoured, 
they are easily wounded and vanquished. A better protec- 
tion than any armour is the trust in God. A man who re- 
joices in God cannot be disheartened, he will not lose courage, 
he will bear everything with fortitude. Physical pain is a 
great affliction; yet — and this is of great comfort to know — 
through the rejoicing in God pain becomes bearable, even a 
cause for joy. The martyr, with hardly a breath left in him, 
is full of inexpressible joy. You may say the time of martyrs 
has passed. Yet there is no lack of occasion for martyrdom; 
the rack does not make the martyr, else Job would not be 
deserving of the martyr's crown. Yet I say he is the peer of 
any martyr. He suffered for his faith in God before there 
was the law and the grace, he suffered for months, and all 
his terrible afflictions came to him at once. Every single one 
of them was nigh unbearable. The loss of his possessions was 
the least of his misfortunes. True, some people would rather 
undergo the worst than to forfeit their possessions, and many 
may look upon .this loss as the greatest. 

It is martyrdom if we bear our loss with fortitude. And 
how may we bear loss with fortitude? If we learn that, by 
giving thanks to the Lord, we gain more than we have lost. 
If, instead of being cast down by the loss, we say, Praise be 
to the Lord! If you would distribute all your possessions 



TWO SERMONS BY ST. CHRYSOSTOM 7 

among the poor, you would not gain as much merit as by this 
one word of self-sacrifice. And this applies also to the loss of 
children. If, seeing your son dying, you thank God for even 
the afflictions He sends you, you will be rewarded for it no 
less than the Patriarch, who brought his son upon the moun- 
tain to offer his death to God. It is true, Abraham was 
fortified by the thought of doing a great deed, he was encour- 
aged by the Voice from heaven. It is admitted that it takes 
great mental strength to see one's only son, who has held 
out greatest promise, lie there dead, and to bear this loss in 
resignation. He who then can say: "The Lord gave and the 
Lord has taken away," he will deserve to be praised together 
with Abraham and Job. Abraham and Job were, like you, 
of flesh and blood, yet they did not lament, though both 
lived long before our law and grace and our consoling doctrines. 
Your son has been removed to a better land, to a more magni- 
ficent dwelling; you have not lost your son, he was brought 
into safety. Do not say, "I am a father no longer"; behold, 
your son is still living! You did not lose him, you are the 
more certain of him now. You are called father not here 
only, but also in heaven; you are a father, not of a mortal 
but of an immortal son, of a valiant warrior, who everlastingly 
dwelleth in the palace. Do not think that you have lost 
him because he is no longer with you. This corpse is not 
your son; he has left his earthly mansion and risen to glori- 
ous heights. If this sight fills you with pain, then say unto 
yourself: "This is a vestment he has taken off to put on a 
more brilliant one; it is a house torn down to rebuild more 
magnificently." Do not say: "He is gone, he is no more" — 
this is the talk of infidels — but say: "He sleeps, he will rise 
again; he has departed for a far-off country, but he will re- 
turn with the King! " "For if we believe that Jesus died and 
rose again, even so them who slept with Jesus, will God bring 



8 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

with Him" (1. Thess. IV, 13). Hence, if you seek your son, 
seek him where the King abides and His host of angels — not 
in the grave, not on this earth. Since he has risen to such 
heights above, do not yourself cleave to the lowly earth. If 
we meditate in this way, we shall banish all sorrow. The 
God of Mercy and of all Comfort may console all our hearts — 
those stricken with grief over bereavement and those saddened 
by other afflictions. God grant that, free from sadness, we 
may enjoy the cheer of heaven, and obtain its eternal posses- 
sion, which I wish you all by the Grace of Our Lord. Amen. 



Ill 

THE FIRST BURIAL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL 

YEAR 

For all you are the children of light, and children of day . . . there- 
fore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober (1. Thess. 
VI, 5, 6). 

On the very first day of the new Church year the bells have 
announced a funeral, the opening of a new year of grace is 
accompanied by the opening of a grave, affliction has made 
its entry into a family of our congregation, Advent has there 
verily become a time for mourning. 

Sad as it is to begin a new time of grace in bereavement, 
it is just the time of Advent that offers much comfort to those 
weeping at a grave. They are especially moved to realize 
how blessed we are through Christ's coming into the world, 
how sorrow softens the hearts, and prepares them to welcome 
the Lord of Grace upon His advent on earth, to become one 
with Him in faith, and to be cheered by His comfort. 

"For all you are the children of light," says the Apostle, 
"and children of the day . . . therefore let us not sleep, as 
others do: but let us watch and be sober." He means to say: 
You are walking in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 
and you are faithful; do not therefore pass your life unmind- 
ful of the Lord's advent for judgment, but keep a careful and 
sober eye for the salvation of your soul, examine your con- 
science to see whether you may without fear welcome the 
Lord. 

1. The Lord is the King, His kingdom extends over earth 
and heaven — here the militant, there the triumphant Church; 

9 



10 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

and through death he promotes those of the militant Church 
to become members of the triumphant Church. Death thus 
loses its terror for the faithful; it becomes the messenger which 
leads us to the heavenly union with our Lord and King. 
During the now beginning ecclesiastical year many a one will 
be called by death. You and I may belong to the ripe sheaves 
that will be gathered into the eternal barn. 

Shall we be fearful? No reason for it if we remain children 
of light, and walk according to the precepts of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, if we endeavor to live and to die in the love of 
God. Be of good cheer and rejoice, you children of light, 
you righteous, because the Lord is still summoning new mem- 
bers into the Church triumphant, where there are no longer 
times of mourning, where we shall be with the Lord Himself, 
to see Him face to face, to sing songs of praise with the angels, 
and worship Him, in union with all the blessed. 

2. In advance of His coming the Lord sends His messengers; 
He desires to find us prepared. His messengers of old were 
the Prophets; John the Baptist was His herald who prepared 
the way. His messenger is also the Angel of Death. Thus 
it was with the widow of Nain, with the sisters at Bethany, 
and so it is with you, my brethren. But do not feel sad, 
sorrow leads to the Saviour, it opens to Him the doors of 
our hearts; sorrow more often paves the way for the Lord 
than the days of happiness. He desires to enter your hearts, 
He stands at the threshold and knocks, He desires to replace 
the departed one. He begs you to open the door of your heart 
by sincere penance, by a fervent desire for union with 
Him in the Most Holy Eucharist, by confiding yourself to 
His wise leadership, and by seeking His merciful comfort in 
your bereavement. You will not seek His help in vain, He 
will come, and His grace, aid, and comfort will come with 
Him. 



FIRST BURIAL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL YEAR 1 1 

3 J This applies to us all, whom He has led to this grave to 
remind us of our own death, of the end of our pilgrimage. 
Once He came down upon earth in lowliness, to redeem the 
world; one day He will return in splendour, to judge the world; 
it will be His second advent. Are we thinking of it, preparing 
for it? We are standing at the first grave dug in a new period 
of grace. As sure as the grave has opened for our departed 
brother, it will open one day for us, and our grave will mark 
the trumpet call for the day of judgment. We are still 
given a reprieve, to do penance, to reform our ways, and it 
may be for us the eleventh hour. The Lord gives us in this 
funeral the warning: "Be awake, be ready, lest I find you 
asleep when I shall come." Hence, "let us watch and be 
sober: and in doing good, let us not fail, for in due time we 
shall reap, not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). 

Whether our departed brother has entered the reward, or 
whether he has been remanded to purgatory to be cleansed 
from minor blemishes, this we cannot know, this God alone 
knows. But we can pray for the dead in the spirit of love, 
that he may soon attain the contemplation of God, if on ac- 
count of human weakness he is now in purgatory. Let us 
pray. 1 

1 Prayers suitable for the occasion will be found in " Oremus, the priest's 
handbook of English prayers, for Church services and special occasions." 



IV 
THE LORD IS NIGH. (Advent) 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. ... The Lord is 
nigh (Phil. IV, 5). 

A call for rejoicing must be welcome, especially from the 
lips of an Apostle. But does such a call fit the hour when we 
are standing at the grave of a beloved husband and father, 
with our hearts bowed down by sorrow? Who can rejoice 
when the eyes are filled with the tears of bitter bereavement? 
And yet it is just you who are bidden to rejoice, and with 
good reason, for the Apostle bids us rejoice because "The 
Lord is nigh." This indeed is comfort at the grave of a be- 
loved departed. 

1. Rejoice, for the Lord with His blessedness is nigh the 
departed souls. Nay, more, they are not merely near the 
Lord and His blessedness, the Lord has already given them 
blessedness in abundance, they are in blessedness. Of course, 
we are aware with sadness that not all the deceased are 
blessed. St. John says: "Blessed are the dead, who die in 
the Lord" (Apoc. XIV, 13), and to die in the Lord, you must 
have lived in the Lord. Now we may hope, with good reason, 
that the deceased whom you mourn is now among the 
blessed, because Christ has been his fife, because he believed 
in the Son of God, and proved this belief by a God-fearing 
life; because, during his sickness, he entered into union with 
the Saviour through the Holy Sacraments, having done this 
frequently also in the days of his health; and shortly before 
his death he received the Sacrament instituted by the Saviour 

12 



THE LORD IS NIGH 13 

expressly for the comfort of the faithful sick, and he died 
resigned to God's holy will. Since we may assume that this 
departed is blessed, and since your heart believes in the 
future blessedness, to him indeed present blessedness, how 
can you be mournful and bewail his fate? If he were to see 
your tears, and could talk to you, he would say: Oh my 
beloved ones, do not weep for me, for I am inexpressibly 
happy; rejoice rather in my blessedness. 

2. Indeed, let us rejoice, not only for the sake of the de- 
ceased, but for our own sake, for the Lord is nigh, to comfort 
you who are mourning. "Blessed are they that mourn, for 
they shall be comforted" (Matt. V, 5). Thus spoke the Lord 
in His days on earth, and He proved His words by deeds. 
Those He met mourning and weeping He comforted by word 
and deed, and what He did in those days He is doing now to 
a far greater extent from heaven. In His gospel He has left 
us sweet comfort, and He bequeathed to us His holy Spirit, 
the Spirit of comfort, hence called the Comforter. Make 
place for this holy Comforter in your heart, and you will 
feel that your beloved Saviour is nigh. The words which 
I am saying now, in the name of the Comforter of mourners, 
should help to bring to you the comfort which you need so 
much in your bereavement. Hence, I exhort you, with the 
Apostle, "be not sorrowful, even as others, who have no 
hope." You indeed have hope, the hope of meeting your 
beloved one in the life beyond. 

3. Rejoice, brethren, for the Lord is nigh with aid and 
protection for you, the orphaned. The true reason for your 
sorrow is that henceforth you will pursue your earthly pil- 
grimage without the beloved departed, without his com- 
panionship, that has been so great a blessing for you. Con- 
sider, however, that everything he gave you, he gave through 
the Lord, without whom we all are helpless and unable of 



14 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

achievement. But the Lord did not die with him, He is the 
living God, and He is with you, and He will take the place of 
the deceased toward you, if you remain faithful to the Lord. 
If you flee from sin, obey His commands, confide in Him, and 
pray to Him in humilitv, He will be nigh to you always, 
until He shall receive you, too, into His kingdom. Now let 
us all join in prayer that the departed may soon be admitted 
to the Kingdom of God, if on account of minor blemishes he 
is still retained in purgatory. 



LIFE IN THE LIGHT OF THE BLESSED NATIVITY 

(Christmas Time) 

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent His Son . . . 
that He might redeem them who were under the law; that we might re- 
ceive the adoption of sons (Gal. IV, 4, 5). 

Dear Brethren: Many people there are who do not 
look upon life as a gift of God, on the right use of which is 
depending our entire weal and woe, temporal as well as eter- 
nal: indeed they look upon life as a burden, having in mind 
the numerous sufferings and adversities, defects and infirmi- 
ties, afflictions and sorrows, that happen in human life. 
Others see in life only the opportunity to gratify the desires 
of their lower nature, to indulge in the joys and pleasures of 
the world; hence, theirs is the maxim: Let us eat and drink 
and be merry, for to-morrow we shall die! In a wholly dif- 
ferent light, a light of splendour, does life appear to us in the 
brightness reflected by the Son of God, whose birthday we 
have celebrated these days. In this light we see our life as a 
gift of the grace of God, for which we thank Him. We re- 
joice in our life, because it is a source of blessing if we make 
use of it as the seed time for eternity. In this life of suffer- 
ing we look forward to another life of glory. Here, at the 
grave of a pilgrim, who has finished his earthly journey, let 
us, who are still on our journey, contemplate our life, starting 
with the words of St. Paul: "But when the fulness of time 
was come, God sent His Son that He might redeem them 
who were under the law : that we might receive the adoption 
of sons." 

15 



16 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

1. "When the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son." 
By these words the Apostle indicates that our Lord came to 
earth at the most fitting and proper time, and this reminds 
us that divine Providence wisely arranges all things, includ- 
ing our own earthly time of life. 

It is God who fixes the day of our birth, who gives us parents 
to care for us in His stead; He it is, who maps out and leads 
our course through life, who allots to us wealth or poverty, 
joy or sorrow, according to His wise judgment, and who, 
finally, decrees the end of our life. 

"The days of man are short," said pious Job, "and the 
number of months is with Thee: Thou hast appointed his 
bounds which cannot be passed." "What needeth a man to 
seek things that are above him," we read elsewhere in Scrip- 
ture, "whereas he knoweth not what is profitable for him in 
his life, in all the days of his pilgrimage, and the time that 
passeth like a shadow?" (Eccl. VII, 5). "Good things and 
evil, life and death, poverty and riches, are from God. Wis- 
dom and discipline and the knowledge of the law are with 
God: love and the ways of good things are with Him" (Wisd. 
XI, 14, 15). Therefore, it behooves us to trust everything 
to His care, and not to complain or resent if He sends us 
sorrow and afflictions, or if He calls away a beloved member 
of our family. "Commit thy way to the Lord and trust in 
Him, and He will do it" (Ps. XXXVI, 5). 

2. " God sent His Son, that He might redeem them who 
were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of 
sons." The Apostle therewith indicates our redemption as 
the object of our Lord's Incarnation. 

To participate in this redemption is the purpose of our life. 
We are here, not to gather riches, that cannot make us happy, 
and which we have to leave behind us in death; not to win 
honour and influence in this world; not to indulge in the 



LIFE IN LIGHT OF BLESSED NATIVITY 17 

pleasures craved by the lustful heart; we are here to recog- 
nize God, to love and to serve Him, and thereby to attain 
eternal beatitude, which the Saviour has made possible to 
us by His Incarnation, by His suffering and death. "For," 
says the Apostle, "you have your fruit unto sanctincation 
and the end everlasting" (Rom. VI, 21). And our Saviour 
said: "For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole 
world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. XVI, 26). 
What good, indeed, is it to us, if we have riches, honours, and 
pleasures, but miss our vocation, and go after death to hell 
instead of to heaven? Therefore St. Peter admonishes us 
urgently: "Wherefore, brethren, labour the more, that by 
good works you may make sure your calling and election. 
For doing these things, you shall not sin at any time, for so an 
entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the ever- 
lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2. 
Pet. H, 10, 11). 

We are all called to be the heirs of this kingdom, because 
we become God's adopted children by Holy Baptism. 

Strengthened by the grace of Jesus Christ, let us be good 
children, who honour and love their Father, our God, and 
obediently do His bidding, and He will receive us after death 
into His everlasting kingdom. " If sons, heirs also," says 
the Apostle, "heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ" 
(Rom. Vin, 17). 

We all hope that our brother has entered into the posses- 
sion of this inheritance, because he has lived a righteous life 
and has died a good death. Upon this inheritance of heaven 
is centered the hope of all of us. Let us endeavour to flee sin 
and to exercise virtue, lest this hope be confounded. Now 
let us say a prayer for the deceased, etc. 



VI 

DEATH IN THE LIGHT OF THE BLESSED NATIVITY 

(Christmas Time) 

Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, Oh Lord, according to thy word 
in peace, because my eyes have seen thy salvation (Luke H, 29, 30). 

The word of the Prophet Amos, "And I will turn your 
feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation" 
(VIII, 10), has been fulfilled in our midst: a house of happi- 
ness has become a house of mourning, its cheer has given 
way to lament, the joyous celebration of our Lord's birthday 
has turned into a wake for a beloved departed, and the fes- 
tive spirit in the hearts of all of us has been clouded. The 
words of the Prophet may be applied to us all, but chiefly to 
you who are most intimately affected by this death. Your 
feasts have been turned into mourning — not only the present 
feast, but even on future ones, when others burst forth into 
gladsome song, you will be silent in tears. Your wounded 
hearts will take a long time to heal, and whenever the feast 
of Christmas returns, you will be saddened, recalling the loss 
you suffered on this feast. Nevertheless, Christmas holds out 
its comfort even to you, who are so sorely tried. The pious 
Simeon had hoped and waited for a long time for the Saviour 
of the World to be born, and when he saw his hopes fulfilled, 
at the presentation of the Child Jesus in the temple, his 
thoughts turned to his death and he exclaimed: "Now Thou 
dost dismiss Thy servant, Oh Lord, according to Thy word in 
peace: because my eyes have seen Thy salvation." He calls 
death being dismissed in peace, since he had seen the birth 

18 



DEATH IN LIGHT OF BLESSED NATIVITY 19 

of the Saviour. We, too, dear brethren, must get our proper 
view of death in the light of the Saviour's birth. 

1. Death seems deprived of its terror at Christmas time. 
Simeon recognized his Saviour in the frail Child in his arms, 
and then cheerfully welcomed death. Behold, what influ- 
ence the belief in the Saviour has upon the aspect of death! 
The Saviour saved us from the evil of death, from perdition, 
and from the fear of death. Hence, those who believe in 
Christ, die an easy death. It seems an exalting thought to 
die on Christmas. At the very moment when the chimes are 
ringing out the "Glory be to God," when people sing joyful 
carols, at that moment to join the blessed community of the 
just and to see the God Incarnate, whom Christianity is wor- 
shipping in the Child in the manger, in His full glory, sitting 
at the right hand of God. Since the Father has sent the Son 
to save us, we are the more deserving of punishment if we 
reject this Saviour. The Incarnation of the Son of God is a 
miracle of divine grace and love, hence God expects us to 
appreciate this great wonder of His love, to let it induce our 
hearts to reform. This fact has been realized by the de- 
ceased, for he turned to the Lord in sincere penance, he found 
in the Holy Sacraments the pardon for his sins, and grace and 
salvation. 

In the light of Christmas the parting from those dear to us 
while no doubt painful, also has its consolation. No other 
feast emphasizes the happiness of the family tie as does 
Christmas, when all hearts are devoted to works of love and 
of charity: to lose at this time by death a member of the 
family makes the shock the more severe. At Christmas time 
there is cheer among the rich and the poor, hence it is all the 
harder to think of parting from one's beloved just at this 
time. But death knows no pity, it knows no respite. While 
the parting by death at this time seems harder than at any 



20 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

other time, yet Christmas time also holds out special con- 
solation for the mourners. 

To save the world from perdition God sent His only begotten 
Son, and did not deem this too great a sacrifice to redeem 
mankind from the death of sin, and, loving mankind to this 
extent, will He not also take pity on those that mourn? 
God's only Son having become man for love of us, suffering 
untold agony and an ignominious death for our sake, is it 
not plain that He is only too willing to help us carry our bur- 
den, to give us comfort in our affliction? This hope dwells 
in our hearts especially on this great feast, and it soothes the 
pain and the sorrow caused by the hand of death. 

Death halts for no feast, it may overcome us any day, 
hence let us ever be prepared for it, lest death cast us into 
perdition. Let us be free from sin always, let us obey God's 
commandments, do faithfully our duties, in short, let us live 
a righteous life, such as we shall wish to have lived when 
death draws nigh; that we may say with Simeon: "Lord, now 
dismiss thy servant in peace." Let us pray, etc. 



VII 
A GLANCE AT THE BURIAL RECORD (End op Yeae) 

Blessed is he that watcheth, and Jceepeth his garments (Apoc. 
XVI, 15). 

Who would have thought, dear brethren, at the beginning 
of this year, that we should bury our sister so soon, her who 
had always been so full of vigour and health? And yet death 
came quickly, after only a brief illness. Her remains were to 
be the last ones buried this year. 

Of those who died this year, probably only a small number, 
if any, had a thought that this might be their last year on 
earth. If we glance at the year's death-roll, we find, among 
those who have completed their earthly pilgrimage, children 
who at a tender age were taken from their parents, young men 
and young women who fell a prey to death in the bloom of 
life, men and women who had to part from wife, husband, 
and from their children, old men and old women who went 
to rest after a long and wearisome journey. Death has no 
regard for age or position: whether a man is needed or not 
makes no difference to death. There die masters and sub- 
ordinates, professional men, merchants, tradespeople, working- 
men, farmhands, married and single people. Some who in a 
lingering illness were enabled to prepare for the end by re- 
ceiving often the holy Sacraments and to do penance by 
patient submission to their affliction; others died suddenly or 
after a brief illness, and had hardly time to receive the last 
rites; indeed, some died before they could receive the last 
Sacraments. Thus we see fulfilled the word of the Prophet: 
"One man dieth strong and hale and rich and happy. His 

21 



22 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

bowels are full of fat and his bones are moistened with mar- 
row. But another dieth in bitterness of soul without any 
riches" (Job XXI, 23, 24). 

None is safe from death. It takes the child from the loving 
arms of its mother, it strikes down the promising youth and 
the mature man; it parts husband and wife, brother and 
sister, children and parents, comrades and friends. Its coming 
is uncertain. Many of those who died this year thought their 
death far away, and, behold, it stood on the threshold. Hence 
it is written: "Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his 
garments" (Apoc. XVI, 15). This means, Blessed is he who 
watches, lest he be surprised by death when unprepared. 
Blessed is he who has prepared himself for death by a righteous 
life, for we read: "Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. 
From henceforth now, saith the spirit, that they may rest 
from their labours: for their works follow them" (Apoc. XIV, 
13). If some of them that died this year could return to life, 
what would they do? Would they continue their old life? 
Would they persist in gratifying their vanity and senses, or, 
mindful and not knowing their hour, would they rather aim 
first of all at deserving the Kingdom and Justice of God, by 
leading a life of penance and by walking the path of God's 
commandments ? 

Dear brethren, let us do now what we shall wish at the 
hour of our death we had done. Let us atone for our sins, 
let us forgive our enemies, let us practise good deeds. We do 
not know whether we are to die next year; but one thing we 
do know: if we die in the grace and love of God, we shall die 
a blessed death and inherit the kingdom of God: but if we 
should die unrepentant in our sins, we shall die a wretched 
death, and be lost for all eternity. 

Let us now give thought to our departed sister and all 
the other dead of the year. Pray for all of them, and 



A GLANCE AT THE BURIAL RECORD 23 

endeavour to lead in the new year an unblemished life, so 
that, when the time comes to enter your names in the 
burial record, we may have reason to hope that the Almighty 
has entered your name also in the book of eternal life. Let 
us pray. 



VIII 
AT THE THRESHOLD OF ETERNITY. (New Year's) 

This, our first funeral in the new year, is to be the funeral 
of a robust young man, who hardly gave a thought to the pos- 
sibility of being the first one called away in the new year. 
But who is there among us who knows whether or not this year 
will be his last on earth? We are all standing at the threshold 
of eternity, without knowing what sickness, what accident, is 
to throw open the gate for us, nor at what hour. Oh, you, 
who day after day are thinking of new pleasures and enjoy- 
ments, unmindful of your eternal destination, if you would 
consider that you stand at the gate of eternity every day, 
every hour, every minute; that you will enter by this gate, 
either to eternal joy or to eternal misery. 

And you, also, whose paths are beset with trouble and 
hardship, you, who day after day are groaning under the burden 
of toil and care, do you give thought to the fact that you stand 
at the gate of eternity? Pain and sorrow can last but a short 
time, and the more patiently for God's sake you bear your 
suffering, the greater will be your claim upon eternal reward. 

Yonder all pain, worriment, and toil ceases; there you shall 
enjoy eternal rest, peace, joy, and beatitude, provided you 
have followed the lofty example of our Redeemer, by taking 
up and carrying your cross in submission to God's holy will. 
Hence, you should frequently call to mind the words of the 
Apostle: "For I reckon, that the sufferings of this time are 
not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, that 
shall be revealed in us" (Rom. VIII, 18). 

24 



AT THE THRESHOLD OF ETERNITY 25 

And there you are day after day labouring by the sweat of 
your brow to amass as many earthly possessions as possible; 
do you perhaps hope that you will remain here for all time? 
Do you not see the handwriting on the wall, — how this one, 
or that one, is called away by death, whether he wills or not, 
deprived of all but a little plot of ground where his corpse is 
left to decay? Yes, you also are standing at the gate of eter- 
nity, every day. Suddenly this gate will open, and you will 
be ushered into the great Beyond, where everyone receives 
according to his deeds. Woe unto you, if, in caring for the 
temporal, you have lost sight of the eternal! What will it 
profit you, then, to have gained all those vain possessions 
and lost your immortal soul? You are among those whom the 
Saviour admonishes: "Lay up to yourselves treasures in 
heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and 
where thieves do not break through and steal" (Matt. VI, 
20), and who are exhorted by St. Paul, "to do good, to be 
rich in good works, to give easily, to communicate to others, 
to lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against 
the time to come, that they may lay hold on the true life" 
(1. Tim. VI, 18, 19). 

It was granted to the deceased, at whose grave we are 
assembled, to reconcile himself with God and to die a righteous 
death. Can you confidently hope for the same grace? You, 
who perhaps stand defiled by sin at the gate of eternity, must 
you not fear that suddenly it will open and you may be 
called to a strict reckoning, unprepared as you are? Oh, 
that those who pursue a sinful life carelessly and thoughtlessly, 
that those may realize that their years are numbered, that 
their judgment is nigh, that before they can make their peace 
with God the awful summons will come: Give an accounting! 
And then the dreadful irrevocable, everlasting, judgment! 
You may not think that this will be your fate. Many, who 



26 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

did not think so, are now for ever lost. Do you wish this to 
be your experience? Man reaps as he sows. Your day of 
harvest is not far away, even now you are standing at the 
gate of eternity. How can you remain indifferent? Oh, that 
none of us, my brethren, may ever dismiss from the mind the 
thought: I am standing at the gate of eternity! May this 
thought be with all of us, not only to-day, at this grave, but 
every morning as we rise, every evening as we retire, every 
time when temptation threatens! Every time you walk 
through a cemetery, every time you hear that someone has 
died, remember that you too are standing at the gate of eter- 
nity. Now let us pray to the merciful Lord, that He may 
grant to the deceased His eternal rest. 



IX 

THE DEPARTURE FROM THIS WORLD. (Candlemas) 

Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, Oh Lord (Luke H, 29). 

Not all those whose last hour has come, and who must 
take leave from this world, are able to speak in confidence 
with Simeon: "Now dismiss thy servant in peace, Oh Lord!" 
To part with everything they possess is very hard : they must 
leave house and home, honours and rank, wealth and influ- 
ence, their beloved wife and children, brothers, sisters, friends, 
and acquaintances. Gone, for ever, are the things they en- 
joyed, the amusements they favoured. Hard this is, particu- 
larly to those who have tied their hearts as with iron bonds 
to things of the world. Centuries ago the wise man said: "Oh 
death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that 
hath peace in his possessions!" (Eccl. XLI, 1.) 

Even more oppressing than the thought of parting with 
everything, is man's dread of the things that are awaiting 
him. He thinks of the fearsome grave, with its worms and 
oblivion, and becomes "troubled with terrible fear" (Wisd. 
V, 2); he sees himself arraigned before the just Judge, "who 
tries the reins and the hearts" (Jer. XI, 20), and who "will 
give to everyone according to their works" (Apoc. II, 23). 
And "if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall the 
ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1. Pet. IV, 18.) How will 
he fare before the tribunal of God? "And they, the ungodly, 
shall fall after this without honour, and be a reproach among 
the dead for ever: for he shall burst them puffed up and 
speechless, and shall shake them from their foundations, and 

27 



28 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

they shall be utterly laid waste: they shall be in sorrow, and 
their memory shall perish. They shall come with fear at the 
thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall stand against 
them to convict them" (Wisd. IV, 19, 20). "Indeed, the death 
of the wicked is very evil" (Ps. XXXIII, 22), and "when 
the wicked man is dead there shall be no hope any more" 
(Prov. XI, 7). 

And yet, how very few give thought to all this, when in 
their healthy days they live a heedless life, too often a life 
of sin ! What of them, if death were to take them by surprise, 
ere they could find the time and the grace for penance? Then 
their departure may indeed be a terrible one. 

Our departed sister has found both the grace and the time 
for penance, and as a good Christian she availed herself of 
the opportunity to make peace with God; hence her departure 
from this world was not bitter and terrible, but consoling to 
her and to us. Indeed, what need is there for a good Christian 
to be in dread of death? By passing through the gates of 
death does he not leave a strange land to go to his native 
country? "While we are in the body we are absent from the 
Lord" (2. Cor. V, 6), says the Apostle, "for we have not here 
a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come" (Heb. XIII, 
14). Our home is not on earth, but in heaven, where there is 
happiness beyond human comprehension. As the heart of 
the traveller in a strange country is gladdened when he is 
again homeward bound, why should not the faithful Christian 
be of good cheer at the gate of his heavenly home? He is 
now removed from all dangers to his soul, from all the suffer- 
ings and troubles incidental to the pilgrimage on earth. We 
know those dangers to the soul, and those occasions for sin, 
and have experienced too often their power. Here it is a 
fight with the Evil One, with the world and the flesh — a 
fight lasting all through our life, ceasing only with our last 



THE DEPARTURE FROM THIS WORLD 29 

breath. Why should the children of God not rejoice when 
leaving a place replete with such dangers, when they may 
exclaim : " Our soul has been delivered as a sparrow out of the 
snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we are deliv- 
ered" (Ps. CXXIII, 7). We all know from experience the 
adversities and worries of this life. They only cease when 
we close our eyes in death. Recalling all his sore trials, how 
can the good Christian help rejoicing, when the days of sor- 
row are over, and the day is dawning when those "will be 
rewarded in abundance who have waited for their bodies to 
be delivered" (1. Cor. XI, 32). "If we consider," says St. 
Gregory, "what is promised to us in heaven, surely every- 
thing we have on earth appears insignificant." 

Thus, dear brethren, let us think of death quite often, and 
prepare ourselves for it, lest our departure from this world be 
sorrowful and terrible, instead of consoling. If we fall into 
sin, let us immediately do penance to appease the Lord, and 
thereafter obey His commandments, " and in doing good let 
us not fail, for in due time we shall reap, not failing" (Gal. 
VI, 9). Whether death, then, arrives sooner or later, whether 
suddenly or not, we shall be able to say with the devout 
Simeon: "Lord, dismiss thy servant in peace, according to 
thy word." Let us now pray for the deceased. 



THE CANDLE AN IMAGE OF HUMAN LIFE 

(Candlemas) 

Give ye glory to the Lord your God, before it be dark and before your feet 
stumble upon the dark mountains (Jeb. XIII, 16). 

Who would have thought that the blessed candle, which 
our dear deceased brother took home on Candlemas Day, 
should so soon serve as his death candle? And yet it so hap- 
pened. In the Greek Church the priests, when handing a 
blessed candle to the faithful, say: "My child, your life is 
like this candle." Our deceased brother has experienced the 
truth of these words, and we all shall find that our life is as 
rapidly spent as the candle is consumed in burning. Soon the 
hour will come when the blessed candle in our home will be 
lighted for us the last time, to give light for our entrance into 
eternity. The candle is an image of the human life. It will 
be to our benefit to give some meditation to this thought. 

Man is endowed with a twofold life — the natural life of 
the body, and the supernatural life of the soul. This super- 
natural life is the light of sanctifying grace imparted by Holy 
Baptism, and symbolized by the burning candle which the 
priest holds out to the child to be christened. As long as man 
remains in the grace of God, the light of his soul shines brightly, 
but it is extinguished by grave sin, for, as St. John Chrysostom 
says, "an unclean life banishes grace." Even the natural 
life of our body is like a burning candle. A lighted candle 
gets shorter and shorter, and finally burns out and dies. This 
is the case also with the human life. At the very moment of 
our birth our struggle between life and death begins. It is 

30 



THE CANDLE AN IMAGE OF HUMAN LIFE 31 

an erroneous belief, said the pagan philosopher Seneca, to 
recognize death only in its last symptoms; we are dying daily, 
inch by inch, as it were, and our last hour of life does not 
bring death, it only completes death. This truth we also see 
in the candle, which begins to consume itself from the moment 
it is lighted; it tells us: Watch, because death is coming; 
behold, I am alive with fire, yet I know not how long I shall 
burn; so it is with you, your life ebbs day by day, and you 
do not know when the end will be. 

We may be sure there are many amongst us whose life is 
near its end, and yet they expect to live a long time. Some 
think so because they are in the prime of life; others because 
of their robust health. Notwithstanding all their confidence 
to attain a ripe old age, the light of their life is about to ex- 
tinguish; they are like the foolish man in the gospel who said: 
"Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take 
thy rest; eat, drink, and make good cheer." But God said 
to him: "Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of 
thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast pro- 
vided?" (Luke XII, 19, 20.) What a warning to be ever 
mindful of the shortness and uncertainty of life! Every time 
you see a burning candle, remember that your life is wasting 
like this candle, and you do not know how quickly it may be 
extinguished. 

Remember, furthermore, that the burning candle is subject 
to accidents which accelerate its extinction. Human life is 
also subject to accidents and other causes that tend to shorten 
it, to hasten its end. We have this fact often demonstrated 
to us. 

Hence, once more, remember that your life melts away 
like the burning candle, that you are ignorant of the day and 
of the hour when your end will come. Beware of shortening 
your life by your own fault. Remember that the salvation 



32 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

of your soul is your most important duty: "Give glory to 
the Lord your God, before it is dark, and before your feet 
stumble upon the dark mountains." " Walk whilst you have 
the light, that the darkness overtake you not. Whilst you 
have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the chil- 
dren of light" (John XII, 35, 36). If, enlightened by the 
teachings of Jesus, strengthened by His grace, cleansed and 
purified by penance and virtue, you have devoted your life 
to the service of God, then, no matter when your last hour 
arrives, you may confidently say with Simeon: "Lord, now 
dismiss thy servant, for my eyes have seen thy salvation.*' 
Let us pray. 



XI 
IN LENT 

Dust thou art and into dust thou shalt return (1. Gen. Ill, 19). 

Dear brethren, after the fall the Lord said to Adam: 
"Dust thou art and into dust thou shalt return." These 
same words are spoken by the priest at burials, when thrice 
he throws a shovelful of earth upon the coffin. "Into dust 
thou shalt return" — this was the chief penalty that the 
Lord pronounced upon Adam, and this truth the Church re- 
calls to the faithful especially on Ash Wednesday. Being 
descendants of Adam, we are all doomed to his fate, and the 
coffin of our departed brother, just lowered into the ground, 
again recalls forcibly to our mind: " Dust thou art and into 
dust thou shalt return." Let us firmly impress these words 
upon our minds, and devote our endeavours more diligently 
to our single urgent business, our salvation. 

1. "It is appointed unto men, once to die," so says the 
Apostle (Heb. IX, 27). Not only can we not escape death, 
but it mostly comes unexpected, even sudden. "Death," we 
are told by St. Ephraim, "is a great prince, ruling all men. 
Hence he demands to be awaited; he, however, does not wait 
for anyone." Nor does he announce his coming. We do not 
know when we shall die, whether in youth or old age, whether 
at noon or at midnight, whether this year or next. "Man 
knoweth not his own end" (Eccles. IX, 12). Nor do we 
know where we are to die — at home or abroad, in our room 
or in the street, on the sick-bed or in an accident. "Man 
knoweth not his own end." Nor does death announce how 



34 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

it will come. We do not know the kind of death we shall 
meet — whether sudden or after a lingering illness, whether 
easy or in great agony, whether in consciousness or uncon- 
scious. "Man knoweth not his own end.'* 

2. But when it does come, death parts us from everything. 
It takes us from house and home, from money and possessions, 
honours and rank, pleasures and enjoyments; it separates 
wife and husband, parents and children, brothers and sisters, 
friends and foes. 

3. When the eyes have closed in death, the corpse is buried, 
it decomposes: dust returns to dust. "Under thee shall the 
moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering" (Isa. 
XIV, 11). Such is the fate of us all; the body is subject to 
death and destruction. What, however, happens to our im- 
mortal soul? At the death of the body the soul is arraigned 
before the tribunal of the all-wise and just Judge. Scarcely 
has the last breath been breathed, and while those that wit- 
nessed the death are still kneeling at the death-bed, the soul 
appears before the throne of God. "It is appointed unto 
men once to die, and after this the judgment," so says the 
Apostle (Heb. IX, 27); "for we must all be manifested be- 
fore the judgment seat of Jesus" (2. Cor. V, 10) to give an 
accounting of our thoughts, desires, words and deeds, as also 
for the omission of the good that we should have done. 

All this, dear brethren, is in store for us, perhaps sooner 
than we expect. Indeed, why say perhaps sooner? It will be 
sooner, in every case, than we expect. Death will come, to 
part us from everything we have and enjoy, from all that is 
dear and beloved to us on earth. Then the dead body will 
be carried to the burying-ground, and lowered into the depth 
of the grave, the same as the one before us, and our soul will 
be arraigned before the judgment-seat of God, to receive eter- 
nal reward or eternal punishment, according to our deserts, 



IN LENT 35 

according to the manner of our life in the body. "Dust thou 
art and into dust thou shalt return." It is related of one of the 
early German Emperors, that he had his coffin made while 
yet in full health, and he kept it in his bedchamber. It 
proved an excellent adviser, and when death came, this man 
could die without fear or regret. It would be well for us all, 
to at least think of the coffin that once will hold our body, 
maybe soon. Think of it when you pass the cemetery, when 
you see a funeral, when you retire at night, when aroused 
from sleep, but especially when tempted to sin. This thought 
will keep you from sin and spur you on to virtue. Listen to 
the advice of St. Ambrose, who says: "Picture yourself fre- 
quently as descending into the grave; it will turn your eyes 
away from vanity, and you will take good care not to offend 
God." This simple means will enable us, aided by the grace 
of God, to preserve a clear conscience and to make progress 
in virtue. Then we can meet death unflinchingly, when the 
allotted time is expiring; then we may confidently hope to die 
in the grace of God, and to be received into the dwellings of 
everlasting peace. We hope and pray that our deceased 
brother will also be admitted there, for he has led a Christian 
life and has partaken recently of the last rites and Sacra- 
ments. That our hope be fulfilled, let us pray. 



XII 

BLESSED COMFORT AT THE GRAVE 

And he was transfigured before them (Matt. XVII, 2). 

Whenever we stand at a grave, we sincerely hope that 
the person there buried is now taking part in the glory of 
God, and in this hope there is the greatest consolation and 
balm for our sorrow. That we may hope for a transfiguration 
in the hereafter, is vouched for by the transfiguration of our 
Lord upon Mount Tabor, which was related in the gospel of 
last Sunday. 

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, 
assumed, according to the teachings of our faith, in the ful- 
ness of time, human nature, "that he might redeem them 
who were under the law" (Gal. IV, 5). His human nature 
became transfigured on Mount Tabor, for the gospel says: 
"His face did shine as the sun" (Matt. XVII, 2). While 
this of itself proves that our human body can be transfigured, 
we get additional assurance of this fact from our faith: be- 
cause through the Redemption Christ has become our Head 
and we have become His members. If the Head has been 
transfigured, the members must necessarily become trans- 
figured too, because they must have closest connection with 
the Head. Furthermore, Christ, as our Redeemer, has gained 
for us the right for a future transfiguration. "For by him 
we have access to the Father," says the Apostle (Eph. II, 
18), and "glory in the hope of the glory of the sons of God" 
(Rom. V, 2). To dispel all doubts of our transfiguration He 
entered, at His ascension, into the glory of heaven before 

36 



BLESSED COMFORT AT THE GRAVE ST 

the eyes of His disciples. Hence, we have in Christ's trans- 
figuration a pledge for our own future transfiguration. Yes, 
we all shall be transfigured, provided we believe all that God 
has revealed, and all that He commands us to believe through 
His holy Church, and walk the path prescribed by His 
commands. "But without faith," says St. Paul, "it is im- 
possible to please God: for he that comethto God must believe 
that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him" (Heb. 
XI, 6), and the Saviour Himself bids us: "If thou wilt enter 
into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. XIX, 17). To 
become transfigured with Christ we must walk the path that 
He has walked, we must endeavour to be like Him in His love 
for God and man, in His humility, His purity of heart, His 
self-denial, His patience, and His resignation to the will of God. 
"He that followeth me," says the Saviour, "walketh not in 
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John VIII, 12); 
he will be transfigured as Jesus was transfigured. 

In Christ's transfiguration we have an image of our com- 
ing transfiguration. St. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ "will 
reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his 
glory" (Phil. Ill, 21). On Mount Tabor "His face did 
shine as the sun and his garments became white as snow" 
(Matt. XVII, 2). "Then shall the just shine as the sun in the 
kingdom of the Father" (Matt. XIII, 43), says Holy Writ, 
and again: "He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed 
in white garments" (Apoc. Ill, 5). 

And what human being can describe the bliss that is in 
store for the transfigured? "They shall be inebriated with 
the plenty of thy house : and thou shalt make them drink of 
the torrent of thy pleasure," exclaims the Psalmist (Ps.XXXV, 
9). And St. Paul assures us: "That eye hath not seen, nor 
ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what 
things God hath prepared for them that love him" (1. Cor. 



38 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

II, 9). Commenting on these words, St. Augustine says: 
"The glory, beauty, and majesty composing our beatitude are 
beyond all conception and words. What God has prepared 
for his friends surpasses belief, and exceeds all our hope, 
wishes, and desires." 

We have reason to hope, my dear brethren, that our de- 
parted friend has entered eternity as a friend of God; he 
has led a Christian life, he has borne his sickness with pa- 
tience, and has reconciled himself to God by receiving the 
Holy Sacraments. Hence, we may take comfort, and may 
rejoice because of the bliss which we hope he has fallen heir 
to. But let us also often think of the transfiguration that 
awaits us. Let us do so especially when tempted to sin, when 
disheartened by unsuccessful work and by hardship, when 
struck by affliction and adversity. We may derive comfort 
from the words of the Apostle: "Yet so, if we suffer with him, 
that we may also be glorified with him" (Rom. VIII, 17); 
and we shall be encouraged and strengthened, to keep our 
body pure and undefiled by sin, to observe the command- 
ments of the Lord, and to zealously take advantage of our 
daily opportunities to do good. Now let us pray for the 
deceased. 



XIII 
IN HOLY WEEK 

For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto purchasing of 
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us; that we may live 
together with him (1. Thess. V, 9, 10). 

Dear brethren, the Cross of Jesus, to which we are led by 
holy Mother Church in Holy Week, is the best consolation 
for all who are sorrowful and burdened, and the way of the 
Cross, as trodden by our Lord Himself, is the royal road 
leading to eternal life. Through ignominy to honour, through 
struggle to victory, through the agony of death to the throne 
of God, through the dark grave to the heavenly light — 
this is the road to be followed by the faithful. Therefore 
you who are mourning and weeping, step beneath His Cross 
and learn from Him to bear suffering and affliction, to be 
patient in adversity, learn to overcome even death and 
the grave. The Apostle tells us: "God hath not appointed 
us unto wrath (not to damnation), but unto the purchasing 
of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that 
we may live together with him." The death of the Lord re- 
veals its most magnificent power in the hour of our death. 

1. It reveals its power to strengthen and to make us bear 
patiently the physical agony of death. The hour of death 
is a hard hour: the breaking up of the human frame is often 
accompanied by great suffering. If we then remember how 
the Lord died on Golgotha, how dare we complain? St. 
Peter says: "Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an ex- 
ample that you should follow his steps" (1. Pet. I, 2, 4). 
We are lying on a bed made by loving hands — His bed 



40 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

was the hard wood of the Cross; we are refreshed by love 
and sympathy — He was given vinegar mingled with gall 
by unfeeling soldiers; we are comforted and encouraged by 
the kind words of priest and friends — He had to listen to 
mockery and jeering. Therefore be patient and courageous 
in bearing the last, short pain. 

2. Christ's death reveals also its redeeming power, enab- 
ling us to bear with confidence the sorrow of parting from 
our beloved ones. Hard indeed is the hour of death, sepa- 
rating us from those we love, from those who may be in 
further need of our care and support. If we turn our eyes to 
the Cross, we see His Mother standing there and the disciple 
He loved best. Jesus was mindful of His Mother's wel- 
fare on earth and entrusted her to the care of St. John. He 
gave to Mary a son, and to him a mother. Let us, too, con- 
fide our dear and beloved ones to Christ's hand and pro- 
tection. God is the Father of the orphaned, Jesus their 
help and guide, the Holy Ghost their Comforter. 

3. The death of Jesus, finally, reveals its redeeming power 
in obtaining for us, by virtue of its merits, the remission of 
our sins, and everlasting life. The hour of death is hard, it 
contains a foreboding of the judgment: we see clearly our 
entire life with its sins, our heart with its frailties, our con- 
science with its accusations. It is then that the power of the 
Redeemer's death especially manifests itself. The anxious 
heart looks up to His Cross, in the faithful belief of His 
atoning death, putting all its confidence and hope in Him, "in 
whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission 
of sins according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. VIII, 7), 
and it prays to share in the merit of His redeeming death 
through the receipt of the holy Sacraments. Cleansed from 
sin by virtue of the Sacrament of Penance, united with the 
Redeemer in the Most Holy Eucharist, fortified by the graces 



IN HOLY WEEK 41 

of the last holy rites, the good Christian faces death with 
calmness, and confidently says in his dying whispers : "Father, 
into thy hands I commend my spirit." 

Our departed sister was entitled to say this; hence, we 
may hope that she has heard the words which our Saviour 
spoke to the penitent sinner: "This day thou shalt be with 
me in paradise.'* But, my dear brethren, is it so sure that 
we also shall have ample time and the grace to prepare for 
death by receiving the holy Sacraments? This we cannot 
know, for death comes often suddenly and unexpected, like a 
thief in the night. We do know "that the unjust shall not 
possess the kingdom of God" (1. Cor. VIII, 9). Hence St. 
Paul admonishes us "to lay up in store for ourselves a good 
foundation against the time to come, that we may lay hold 
on the true life" (1. Tim. VI, 19), and "to be careful to excel 
in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men" 
(Titus III, 8) and are rewarded with everlasting life. "And 
in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, 
not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). For the deceased, however, let us 
pray. 



XIV 

CHRIST TEACHES US HOW TO DIE 

(The Seven Last Words) 

Looking on Jesus the author and finisher of faith, who having joy 
set before him, endured the cross (Heb. XII, 2). 

Dear brethren, in human life there is many an anxious 
and solemn hour of utmost importance, but none more so 
than the last hour, the hour of death, from which no one can 
escape. It is the most important hour, for it is the hour 
when we must part from the life on earth, so dear to us not- 
withstanding its many sufferings: from our beloved, who 
often are still very much in need of us; from our earthly 
possessions, acquired by strenuous work and by the effort 
of long years. It is an important hour, because it is the hour 
of our departure for a land which no mortal eyes have ever 
seen, which we know, however, by our faith. An anxious 
hour it is, for it is an hour of struggle, often of intense pain, 
when the soul frees itself from the ties of the body, and the 
breaking heart is worried by the memory of past sins. A 
solemn hour, for it is the hour which takes us before the 
judgment-seat of Him, to whom everything is known, who 
will judge us all the more severe, the more graces He has 
bestowed. These are the reasons why many men avoid 
thinking of this hour, though no man can escape from it. 
And since we cannot escape from it, it will be good for us to 
learn how to die, while still in the fulness of life. And where 
can we learn how to die, and from whom? From no one better 
than from Him, who has been our model even in death, who, 

42 



CHRIST TEACHES US HOW TO DIE 43 

indeed, has for our benefit, overcome the power of death, nay 
more, who has died for us, that v^e may die in comfort of 
soul and confidence. Hence, let us look up to Jesus, the 
"Author and Finisher of faith, who, having joy set before 
him, endured the Cross." Let us step beneath the Cross of 
the Redeemer, contemplate His death, and learn from Him 
how to die. 

1. When Jesus was dying on the Cross, His first word was 
a prayer for His enemies: "Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do" (Luke XXIII, 24). If this was the 
prayer of Him who was free from sin how much more urgent 
to pray thus it is for us who have sinned and need forgive- 
ness, and who must pray: "Forgive us our trespasses as we 
forgive those who trespass against us." Therefore on our 
death-bed we should follow the example of the Saviour, for- 
give all those who have done us injury, who have caused us 
grief, who have slighted us, embittered our life, or shortened 
it. For death is followed by the judgment, and with what 
measure we mete out it shall be measured to us. If we ex- 
pect grace and mercy, we must be merciful to others. "For- 
give and ye shall be forgiven," commands the Lord (Luke 
VI, 37) ; "Judgment without mercy to him that hath not done 
mercy" (James II, 13). 

2. Then the Saviour turned His eyes to His Mother, weeping 
under the Cross, and He charged His beloved disciple to care 
for her with the loyalty of a son. To arrange our important 
temporal affairs before our death is a sacred duty. It should 
not be left to strangers to do what you have neglected to do, 
to those who do it, perhaps, to the disadvantage of those you 
have left behind. To prevent possible disaster and disagree- 
ment, see to it that the tears of sorrow shed for you are free 
from just reproach on that account. 

3. The Saviour turning to the penitent thief, kindly 



44 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

assured him: "This day thou shalt be with me in Paradise." 
We are thus admonished to remember on our death-bed the 
salvation of those around us. "Behold, I die and God will 
be with you," thus spoke Jacob. The blessing of the dying 
just is of great and wonderful power; it builds houses for the 
children, and will deeply permeate the hearts of the sur- 
vivors to their edification and benefit. 

4. Finally, we should imitate the Saviour in enduring our 
suffering with patience. The agony He suffered on the 
Cross is manifested by His cry: "I thirst," and by His anx- 
ious sigh: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? " 
And yet He overcame with patience all these terrors of death, 
and He drained the chalice of suffering to the dregs. We, too, 
may have to struggle with death in great agony, but it is the 
last struggle, and as God has given us the strength to bear in 
patience the afflictions of this earthly fife, we shall with His 
aid also vanquish the agony of death. The Saints and An- 
gels will hasten to our assistance, the hope for heaven and for 
eternal beatitude will aid us in proving our devotion and 
faith even unto death. 

5. "It is consummated!" This was the crucified Sav- 
iour's cry of triumph. His task was finished, and so was His 
life, His humiliation, His suffering. When on our death- 
bed our soul, looking backward, reviews our entire life, happy 
is he who can then truthfully say that he has not lived in 
vain; who can depart conscious of having faithfully finished his 
task, who can say with the Apostle: "I have fought a good 
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: as 
to the rest there is laid up for me a crown of justice which the 
Lord, the just judge, will render me in that day" (2. Tim. 
IV, 7, 8). But if we cannot say this, if the heart is anxious 
and oppressed by the thought of past sins, what are we to do? 
What else and what better can we do than to repent of our sins 



CHRIST TEACHES US HOW TO DIE 45 

from the bottom of our heart, to pray that the Lord may 
have mercy on us, for the sake of the merits of Christ, to seek 
forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance, to enter the union 
with Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist, to obtain the graces 
bestowed by the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, to atone 
for our misdeeds by patiently enduring our sickness as a 
temporal penalty, and by other good deeds? 

6. Only then may we say with the Saviour: "Father, into 
thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke XXIII, 46). This, 
the last prayer of the Lord, should be also our last words. 
Though the body is buried, and turns into dust, the spirit, the 
soul, is immortal; this we know by the faith. We are re- 
deemed, redeemed by the death of Jesus; therefore we may, 
reconciled with God, depart in good cheer, with confidence 
in the glorious promises of our Lord. Death has no terror 
for us, it will lead us into the land of everlasting glory. We 
may hope that our departed brother, having led a good, 
Christian life, and having duly prepared himself for death, 
has also been received into the promised land. Let us offer 
our prayers for him, so that if, on account of minor blemishes, 
he must go through the cleansing fire of purgatory, the Lord 
may graciously hasten the time of his delivery. Let us 
pray. 



XV 
OUR SAVIOUR IN THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH 

For I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that he is able to 
keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (2. Tim. 
I, 12). 

The darkest hour of life, the most terrible, the most cheer- 
less, is to many men their last hour. "Oh, death, how bitter 
is the remembrance of thee to a man that has peace in his 
possessions" (Ecclus. XLI, 1). Many of you, dear brethren, 
may have been witnesses to the fact that the hour of death 
is a most solemn one, and often full of anguish. 

Where shall we look for aid and comfort in this last, hard 
hour, that is in store for every one of us sooner or later? I 
say: we must look there, where all through life we have 
found our best cheer, the greatest comfort, the firmest support, 
and that is the faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore St. Paul 
said: "I know whom I have believed, and I am certain that 
he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him 
against that day." The Apostle is never in doubt as to whom 
to turn, in whom to trust, when that solemn hour arrives, 
the hour of death, the hour of accounting. And the Apostle 
is confident that his deposits, namely, his good works and 
merits, will bring him aid and comfort in that dread hour of 
agony. His belief in Christ was St. Paul's comfort in all his 
sufferings and adversities, and also his comfort and support 
in the hour of death. Happy is he who preserves the faith 
in the Lord during his life, and who can testify that his 
Redeemer is also to him the sweetest comfort in the hour 
of death! 

46 



OUR SAVIOUR IN THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH 47 

1. In Christ we see in our last hour the true friend of those 
we leave behind. It is natural that the dying father or 
mother, husband or wife, be troubled about the fate of the 
beloved ones. Even our Lord dying on the Cross was thought- 
ful of the welfare of the one nearest to Him in His life, and 
He gave His Blessed Mother into the care of John. To 
whom may we entrust those we are leaving behind, and who 
perhaps are much in need of care? Fortunate is the man who 
can charge loyal friends with that care: but even the most 
loyal friends are but human, often even they can do nothing 
to help, nor can they protect their wards from all dangers to 
soul and body, nor ensure their salvation. But Christ can 
do all this, and He will do it for the widowed and orphaned. 
He will be their aid and protection, their Comfort and Guide, 
their Redeemer, who will give them life everlasting. "No 
man shall pluck them out of my hand" (John X, 28), and 
"I will not leave you orphans" (John XIV, 18), says the 
Lord. Truly a great comfort to know that our beloved 
ones have in Christ the truest of friends. 

2. In our last hour on earth we have in Christ the pledge of 
our future life. The longing for life after death is rooted deep 
in the hearts of men. This is recognized even among the 
pagans. Positive assurance of it we have only through 
Christ, and He became our pledge for it, because through 
suffering death Himself He also vanquished death, for, true 
to His word, He rose from death and thus proclaimed Him- 
self to be the Resurrection and the Life. "He, that raised 
Jesus Christ from the dead, shall quicken also your mortal 
bodies because of the spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 
VIII, 11), says the Apostle, and "if we believe that Jesus 
died and rose again: even so them who have slept through 
Jesus, will God bring with him" (1. Thess. IV, 13). 
His resurrection is the image of our own future resurrection, 



48 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

and of our everlasting life. What comfort in the parting 
hour, what great relief it is to the dying heart to cling in 
faith to the Saviour's word: "He, that believeth in me, 
although he be dead shall live : and every one that liveth and 
believeth in me, shall not die for ever" (John XI, 25, 26). 

3. In Christ we have, moreover, in the hour of death a mer- 
ciful Deliverer from our sins. The knowledge of having 
sinned causes at no time more anxiety than at the hour of 
death; then we see our life before us like an open book, 
with many, alas, boundless sins recorded therein, and pointing 
an accusing finger at us. Where can we find comfort in this 
plight? Perhaps in the good deeds we have done in our 
lifetime? 

Even if we have done thousands of good deeds they will 
of themselves not atone before the judgment-seat of God for 
a single mortal sin. There is comfort and aid only in Christ, 
who suffered death for our sins, and blotted them out with 
His Blood, who atoned to divine justice for our iniquities, 
and purchased with His Blood the everlasting life for us. 
"If any man sin," says St. John, "we have an advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the just, and he is the propitiation 
for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the 
whole world" (1. John II, 12). Hence, if in sorrow and peni- 
tence we take refuge in the mercy of God, seeking pardon, 
grace, consolation, and salvation through the Sacraments in- 
stituted by Christ, then He will say to us the words He said 
to the man sick with the palsy: "Be of good heart, thy sins 
are forgiven thee" (Matt. IX, 2). Happy he who dies in 
the faith, for he passes from eternal death to eternal life, and 
dies in hope and good cheer. 

4. In Christ we have, finally, in our last hour the kindly 
Giver of eternal life. The mere knowledge that we are im- 
mortal is not sufficient to give us comfort, neither in life 



OUR SAVIOUR IN THE HOUR OF OUR DEATH 49 

nor in death: on the contrary, the uncertainty whether this 
eternal life will be for us also a blessed one will cast us down. 
We wish to know not only that our life continues, but how 
it will continue. Since God is just, and since we are sinners, 
our eternal life could not be a happy one without Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Being the Redeemer from sin, He is also 
the kindly Giver of the eternal, blessed life. He redeemed 
us from sin on the Cross, He gives us life eternal since He as- 
cended to heaven and sitteth at the right hand of the Father. 
Those he desires to have with Him are blessed by this very 
desire of the Lord, for our blessedness is in the union with Him. 

Oh, happy belief, oh, blissful hope, founded upon the Lord ! 
And he who says with St. Paul, to his last breath: "I know 
whom I believe in," meaning his Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, has the best comfort in his hour of death, and he 
will depart in peace and confidence. May such a happy 
death be the lot of every one of us! 

We have reason to believe that our departed brother has died 
such a death, on account of the Christian life he led, of the 
patience he showed in his sickness, and of the fact that he 
received the holy Sacraments in the last days of his sick- 
ness. Yet, in the spirit of Christian charity, let us pray for 
him, that the Lord may rest his soul in peace. 



XVI 

MARY MAGDALEN AT THE GRAVE OF THE LORD 

(Easter Time) 

Mary at the sepulchre weeping (John XX, 11). 

1. Like us at this hour, my dear brethren, so Mary Mag- 
dalen once stood mourning and weeping at a grave. On Easter 
morn, when it was yet dark, she went to the sepulchre, and 
let her tears flow unchecked. She thought the disciples had 
carried the Lord away, and desired to know where they had 
laid Him. He, however, whom she believed among the dead, 
had risen from death. 

We have carried to the cemetery a brother, dear to our 
hearts, and the house wherein he lived has become desolate. 
But he whom we mourn lives, as the Lord liveth in whom he 
so steadfastly believed, and who said: "He that belie veth 
in me, although he be dead, shall live" (John XI, 25). Our 
dear, departed brother did believe in the Lord, and we hope 
that a glorious blessed life is now his reward. Must we not 
in our grief be comforted by this thought? 

2. Mary Magdalen is disconsolate, yet consolation is nigh. 
Her tears fail to relieve her sorrow, the longing for the be- 
loved Lord overcame her dread and fear; she stooped down 
and looked into the sepulchre, and behold, where the body 
of the Lord had lain, she saw two angels in white. They 
ask her kindly: "Why weepest thou?" and Mary, in her 
grief, bursts forth with the plaint: "They have taken away 
my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him." 

We also are standing at an open grave of a beloved one, the 
coffin is lowered, and we take up a last handful of earth that 

50 



MARY MAGDALEN AT GRAVE OF THE LORD 51 

its first covering may bear our last prayer and blessing. At 
your side, too, are standing angels, though invisible, and their 
question is also: "Why weepest thou? Knowest thou not 
that thy Redeemer liveth, that he for whom thou weepest, 
is with his Lord in the kingdom of glory? Why weepest thou? 
Behold, there above is thy native land, there thou shalt again 
meet thy beloved one after a short while." 

3. Mary seeks the Lord, and, behold, He whom she is 
seeking appears before her. Not finding the body of our 
Lord, she leaves the sepulchre, and as she retraces her steps, 
He whom she is seeking, stands before her, but she fails to 
recognize Him, mistaking Him for the gardener. He asks 
her the same question that the angels had asked, yet she 
still does not know Him, and she asks where the body of 
the Lord is. 

A mound will rise on the grave before us, and we shall 
plant on it a cross, as a sign that during his life the departed 
believed in the Saviour. We plant flowers there, too, as 
tokens of our affection and love. Yet while our thoughts are 
thus concerned with the dead body, the dear departed is 
living in the life beyond. 

4. Mary at last realizes the Lord's resurrection. He says: 
"Mary!" and then she recognizes the Lord. And now that 
she recognizes Him, she falls at His feet; the tears flow again, 
but they are tears of joy. 

Although we view with sadness the place where our be- 
loved one lies sleeping, the word of the Lord assures us that 
down in the grave there lies only his body, and that his 
spirit is dwelling blissfully in a better world. It assures us, 
also, that on the day of the resurrection God will provide 
for him a new, a gloriously transfigured body, and that we all 
shall meet again and recognize one another, as Mary recog- 
nized the Lord. 



52 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Thus we find consolation in the truths that are recalled to 
our mind by the event of Easter morn. Our deceased brother 
has led a Christian life, and he prepared himself for death 
through the last holy rites, devoutly received, and by his 
resignation to the holy Will of the Lord. Hence, we may 
hope that he is with the Lord, whom in his life he has sought 
and loved. If we desire that we, too, may after death be 
allowed to seek Jesus in the kingdom of His Father, to meet 
again and be united for ever with all those we have loved and 
treasured on earth, then we must be penitent, as Mary Mag- 
dalen was, and love Christ as Mary Magdalen did. Then 
we may hope to live for evermore, and to "receive a kingdom of 
glory and a crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord" (Wis. 
V, 17). Let us pray that these be granted to our departed 
brother. 



xvn 

THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE 

. As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive (1. Cor. 
XV, 22). 

We poor humans feel our limitations and need sympathy 
and comfort especially when committing to the grave the 
earthly remains of one dearly beloved. Yet how little sym- 
pathy we can find in the world, how inefficient it is to console 
us! Where then, dear brethren, are we to find comfort in 
our sorrow? Where are we to look for consolation when hard- 
ship falls to our lot, or when finally death comes to sum- 
mon us? 

That this will happen one day is beyond doubt: "My spirit 
shall be wasted, my days shall be shortened, and only the 
grave remaineth for me," said patient Job (XVII, 1), and so 
say most men who have arrived at the end of their earthly 
career. Indeed, nothing but the grave remaineth for all of 
us, whether rich or poor, old or young. All must go back to 
the earth, to the clay they were formed of, and of every child 
of man it shall be fulfilled what the Lord God said to Adam 
after the fall: "Dust thou art and into dust thou shalt return/ ' 

But shall the body remain for ever in the grave? Will it 
be for ever under the power of death? It will not. The human 
body originally was not mortal, it became so as punishment 
of sin: "God has not made death," says Holy Writ, "death is 
the wages of sin." The Son of God, in delivering us by His 
death from sin and perdition, has conquered death, and on the 
day of the general resurrection the grave will give up its dead. 
Hence the Apostle rejoices: "Death is swallowed up in vic- 

53 



54 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

tory. Oh, death, where is thy victory? Oh, death, where is 
thy sting? Now the sting of death is sin: but thanks be to 
God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus 
Christ" (1. Cor. XV, 54, 57). What does the Apostle's ques- 
tion mean? "Death, where is thy victory, where is thy sting? " 
He means that the victory of death is in its sting, and there 
is no more victory for death, because its sting is taken 
away, because Christ has atoned for sin. 

This, my friends, is the great truth of faith about the resur- 
rection from death. It alone dispels all doubt, and answers all 
questions as to man's nature and destination. It is the hope of 
the Christian, which alone has the power to reassure him when 
standing at the grave of a dearly beloved, or at the thresh- 
old of his own death. This was the consolation of patient 
Job: "For I know that my Redeemer liveth and in the last 
day I shall rise out of the earth, and I shall be clothed again 
with my skin and in my flesh. I shall see my God, whom I 
myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold and not another: 
this my hope is laid up in my bosom" (Job VIII, 25-28). 
The divine Saviour Himself vouches for this hope, saying: 
"The hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear 
the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. 
For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to 
the Son also to have life in him, and he hath given him 
power to do judgment because he is the Son of Man. And 
the hour is coming when all that are in the graves shall hear 
his voice and shall come forth : they that have done good unto 
the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto 
the resurrection of damnation" (John V, 25, 28). 

To dispel even the least doubt of this truth, Christ rose 
from the dead, the first-fruit of them that sleep. His resur- 
rection is therefore the surest bond for our own future resur- 
rection. As sure as the Lord on Easter day emerged from 



THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE 55 

the grave, and entered the new life of Transfiguration, so 
surely shall all men rise from their graves and return into life. 
Through the sin of Adam death came into the world, but 
death will again be abolished by Christ after the history of 
mankind has run its course. "For by a man came death," 
says the Apostle, " and by a man the resurrection of the dead : 
and as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made 
alive" (1. Cor. XV, 21, 22). Then this earthly frame of our 
body, dissolved by death, will be rebuilt as new, a house not 
made with hands, but for the eternal glory in heaven. "That 
which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die first. It is 
sown in corruption (meaning the interment of the body), it 
shall rise in incorruption; it is sown in dishonour, it shall 
rise in glory: it is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power, it 
is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body. For this 
corruptible must put on incorruption; and this mortal must 
put on immortality, and then the just shall shine as the sun, 
in the kingdom of their father" (1. Cor. XV). What an abun- 
dant source of comfort is offered by this divine truth! How 
consoling is the Christian's hope! But also what an urgent 
admonition to be patient, to be just, and persevering in 
virtue ! 

And when we rise shall all of us be equally beautified and 
transfigured? "We shall all indeed rise again," says the 
Apostle, "but we shall not all be changed," meaning, not all 
will be transfigured. Only the just, those that die in Christ, 
shall rise in the glory of transfiguration to life everlasting: 
but the unrighteous shall rise in dishonour and clothed in 
damnation. What, then, must we do, that we may hope for 
salvation? The Apostle answers: "Christ died for all: that 
they also who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto 
him who died for them and rose again" (2. Cor. V, 15). This 
means that Christ has died for us that we may rise to the works 



56 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

of justice, but we must live in the flesh no longer, nor in the 
bondage of sin, but in the spirit of the Lord's teaching and 
example. "Therefore we cease not to pray for you," writes 
St. Paul to the Colossians (I, 9, 10), " and to beg that you 
may be filled with the knowledge of Christ's will, in all wis- 
dom and spiritual understanding: that you may walk worthy 
of God, in all things pleasing, being fruitful in every good 
work . . . strengthened with all might . . . to be partakers 
of the lot of the saints in light." Shall I tell you of an excel- 
lent means to be strengthened with all might for a walk 
worthy of God, to be endowed with the hope for a blessed 
resurrection? It is the Holy Eucharist, which gives to the 
Christian strength in the struggle with sin, perseverance in 
that which is good, and preserves the seed of immortality 
even in his body. Of this we are assured by the Saviour, 
who said: "He that eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, 
hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. 
If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever." 

I exhort you, therefore, to receive often in your life this 
divine Bread, and partake of it especially and repeatedly in 
sickness, as did the departed whom we mourn. Then, if 
your sickness should turn out to be fatal, you may hope to 
die the death of the just, and to be resurrected to glory. 
Those whom this departed has left behind are comforted by 
the hope that he whose loss they are mourning has gone 
through death to a new and glorious life, to everlasting 
blessedness. This hope we may well entertain for our 
departed brother. Let us now pray for him in the spirit 
of love. 



XVIII 
WARNINGS OF DEATH 

And now I go to Him that sent me (John XVI, 5). 

This word in the gospel of last Sunday was addressed by 
the Saviour to His disciples when He was about to leave 
this world, to return to His heavenly Father. His ascension 
followed soon after this. "While they beheld he was taken 
up and a cloud received him out of their sight." The Saviour 
of course knew the exact time when He would leave this world; 
but to us it is not given to know when we shall be called away. 
"Man knoweth not his own end," says Holy Writ (Eccl. 
IX, 12). Our departed sister surely did not think at the be- 
ginning of this month that she was not to see its end, yet it 
thus came to pass. She could not find words enough of grat- 
itude and praise for God, for having given her the time and 
the grace to prepare for a good death. While we do not know 
when our end shall come, we are given many warnings of 
death. God in His wisdom and mercy sends them, so we may 
be ready for our departure when the hour draws nigh! 

1. Many there are of such warnings, if we will only heed 
them. Nature reminds us of death. The setting sun, mark- 
ing the end of the day, warns us that the day of our life 
will end sometime. The flowers withering and fading, the 
trees and shrubs losing their leaves in autumn and bare of 
life in winter, are images of our own death, and recall to mind 
the passage from Holy Writ: "All flesh shall fade as grass, 
and as the leaf that springeth out of a green tree" (Ecclus. 
XIV, 18) . We are reminded of death when we hear of the death 
of others, when we pay the last tribute to a deceased, as 

57 



58 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

we are doing to-day, whenever we pass a cemetery, whenever 
prayers for the dead are offered in church. The death of a 
neighbour, of a member of your family — is it not a warning 
that you, too, will soon go the way of all flesh? Such warning, 
is, moreover, given you every night when you retire, for sleep 
resembles death so much that it has been called the brother 
of death. "As you lie in bed, thus will you lie in the grave," 
warned us a great Saint. And as you get along. in years, is 
not this fact itself a warning that your pilgrimage to the grave 
will soon reach its goal? When laid up with sickness, must 
it not occur to you that this sickness may lead to death? 
Indeed, everything around us warns us: "It is appointed unto 
men once to die" (Heb. IX, 27), and exhorts us: "Boast not 
for to-mOrrow, for thou knowest not what the day to come 
shall bring forth" (Prov. XXVII, 1). 

2. Alas, these warnings are seldom heeded by youth and 
old age alike. Of course, old people are, according to human 
reckoning, nearer to the gate of death than young people, 
but youth also is subject to the words of Holy Writ: "There is 
but one sleep between me and death" (1. Kings, XX, 3). 
Frequently we hear that a robust youth, a strong young girl, 
was taken sick and died. Nevertheless young people go on 
so thoughtlessly, so confidently, as if there were no such thing 
as death. "Let us crown ourselves with roses, let us every- 
where leave tokens of joy" (Wis. II, 8, 9). This is their 
watchword, day by day; they think of nothing but of fine 
clothes, of joys and pleasures. If they receive an earnest 
warning of death, they heed it not. But even persons along 
in years are blind to such warnings. Many of these people 
have thought all through their lives little of God, they are 
with the fetters of habit attached to luxury, to covetousness, 
to world, and to sin; they cannot bear to think of death. 
Many an old person never gives a thought to death, yet his 



WARNINGS OF DEATH 59 

daily increasing infirmity should warn him of death and the 
grave, and that for him, in the words of St. Peter (I, 4, 7), 
"the end of the world is at hand." Many of those stricken 
with severe sickness do not care to be reminded of death, and 
of the necessity to prepare for the end. 

Dear brethren, let us not be heedless of these warnings of 
death, for it would be dangerous, and might cause our eternal 
perdition. Since we do not know when we are to die, we must 
at all times be prepared to die a good death. "In all thy 
works remember thy last end and thou shalt never sin" 
Ecclus. VII, 40). Keeping our mind on death will cause us 
to be cautious and careful in our actions, and will turn us to 
God if we have sinned; it will encourage us to carry our 
cross with patience, to do good, and to lay up a store of good 
works against the autumn of our life. Let us now offer a 
prayer for the departed. 



XIX 

WHITHER GOEST THOU? 

Dear brethren, standing here at the grave of a deceased 
sister, looking at the place where her corpse will go through 
decomposition, and looking at the graves of our deceased 
relatives, friends, and neighbours, all around us, we cannot 
resist the thought that our soul, too, will some day depart 
for eternity, then it will be our body that they will carry to 
the graveyard to be buried. It is proper, therefore, to pause 
in our journey through life, to ask ourselves: Whither goest 
thou? to reward or to perdition? When undertaking a long 
journey, we first of all make sure of the way, we equip our- 
selves with all the necessaries for travelling; — but of our 
great journey into eternity we think, I am afraid, but rarely, 
nor do we prepare properly for it. After we in this world 
have started on a trip, and it occurs to us that we have left 
something important undone, we can mend matters, we can 
go back to do it; but once death has started us onto eternity, 
there is no going back to do what we have neglected to do. 
Hence, what can be more advisable than to ask ourselves in 
time: Whither goest thou? and to prepare for the great journey. 

To the question: Whither goest thou? the wise Solomon 
replies: "Man shall go into the house of his eternity" (Ecclus. 
XII, 5). 

The souls of the just go into a blessed eternity, the souls 
of the evil into a wretched eternity. Hence, our most impor- 
tant task in life will be to provide for the future life, that we 
may enter the house of blessedness. If we attempted to cross 

60 



WHITHER GOEST THOU? 61 

the frozen surface of a river, we would not at once jump upon 
the ice with both feet, but, keeping one foot on firm ground, 
we would cautiously test with the other foot the strength of 
the ice, and if we found it thin and breaking, we would quickly 
withdraw our foot and not take the risk to break through the 
ice and drown. We are very careful that no harm befall our 
body, but are we just as careful regarding our soul? We 
make very sure of our steps here; what about the step betwixt 
time and eternity, the one step that can never be retraced 
even if we should find that we are going the wrong way? He 
who upon his death has entered the house of a wretched eter- 
nity has no hope of escape, he is past redemption. 

This we know, dear brethren, and yet there are many of 
us who think of everything else except the journey into eter- 
nity, who think of the things we cannot take along on this 
journey rather than of those upon which the salvation of our 
immortal souls depend. The hearts of many of us cling to the 
idle and perishable goods of this world, to its empty honours 
and joys, and pursue them strenuously day and night. Yet 
those things do not make their souls happy even in this life, 
much less can they secure eternal blessedness; on the con- 
trary, they often bring about the eternal death of the soul. 
Therefore let us often ask ourselves : Whither goest thou — 
to perdition or to reward? and if the answer shows that we 
are on the broad road to perdition, let us make haste to return 
to the path of virtue that leads to everlasting life. If we desire 
to arrive at our proper destination on the journey to eternity, 
the journey we began on the very day of our birth, we must 
seek to acquire the things that we can take along into the 
hereafter, the things that have value there, namely, virtues 
and merits. Things like real estate and personal estate, gold 
and jewels, diamonds and fine clothes, titles and honours — 
all these must be left behind. What follows us into eternity 



62 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

are our deeds only — good deeds that earn for us heavenly 
reward, or else, evil deeds for which we must pay the penalty. 
We have reason to hope that our departed sister has ar- 
rived at her destination and entered blessed eternity: for she 
has led a Christian life, she exercised the virtue of charity as 
best she could, and died fortified by the holy rites, and re- 
signed to the holy will of God. Now let us ask ourselves: 
If I had been in her place, if I should die right now and here, 
whither should I go — to reward or to punishment? This 
solemn thought should induce in us the firm resolution to 
lead henceforth the life that we shall wish to have led when 
the hour of death comes. Let us now pray. 



XX 

THE DAY OF ACCOUNTING 

Give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward 
no longer (Luke XVI, 2). 

Dear brethren, in last Sunday's gospel we heard the 
summons to the steward: "Give an account of thy steward- 
ship: for thou canst be steward no longer." This call for an 
accounting has also come to our departed brother: he has 
given his account to the eternal Judge and has received the 
sentence. A similar call will come for everyone of us, at the 
end of our life, when there is at hand the hour of account. 

1. This hour of accounting will come without fail and 
St. Paul declares: "It is appointed unto men once to die 
and after this the judgment" (Heb. IX, 27). No man is 
exempt from this universal law of death. Death accepts no 
ransom; it is as insensible to the money of the rich as to the 
tears of the poor : nor can the most skilful of physicians finally 
avert death. "For we must all appear before the judgment 
seat of Christ," says the Apostle (2. Cor. V, 10). We do not 
know when this day of accounting will come. "But of that 
day and hour no one knoweth," says the Saviour (Matt. 
XXIV, 36). 

2. This hour of accounting will be extremely trying. We 
shall have to account for the fulfilment of duties imposed 
upon us by our position and vocation: for the use we have 
made of the time allotted to us: for the use we have made 
of our possessions; for all our thoughts, desires, words, and 
acts, as well as for omissions of prescribed works, yes, 
for our entire life. The Judge will ask of you, Christian par- 



64 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ents, whether you have raised your children in the teaching 
and law of the Lord, or whether you have neglected their 
education and given scandal to them. He will ask, of you all, 
whether you have made good use of your time for your own 
salvation and for that of your neighbours. He will ask 
of you whether you have given of your abundance to works 
of charity, or whether you have been uncharitable; He will 
ask whether God has been in your thoughts and aims, or 
whether you have given your heart to sordid, proud, covet- 
ous, and revengeful thoughts. He will ask of you, whether 
your speech was good and edifying, or unkind and frivolous: 
He will ask whether you have led a Christian life, or whether 
you have walked "as enemies of the cross of Christ" (Phil. 
Ill, 18), in lewdness, drunkenness, uncharitableness, and 
impiety. And the Judge, who will ask all these questions, 
is God Almighty Himself, "and the Lord is a God of all 
knowledge" (1. Kings II, 3), to whom nothing is hidden, 
before whom no excuses can avail. He is God Almighty, 
from whom no one can escape, whose power is irresistible. 
He is God the Just, who does not look at persons, but at 
deeds, and renders accordingly. He is, finally, God the 
Inexorable, who, when the time of mercy is exhausted and 
night has come, "when no man can work" (John IX, 4), will be 
unrelenting in His judgment, unmoved by pleading and tears. 
3. This hour of accounting will for all eternity decide 
your blessedness or wretchedness. He who stands the test 
of this hour will hear the words of comfort: "Well done, good 
and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a 
few things, I will place thee over many: enter thou into 
the joy of the Lord" (Matt. XXV, 21). But he whose 
account is found wanting will hear the terrible words: "De- 
part from me into everlasting fire, which was prepared for 
the devil and his angels" (Matt. XXV, 41). 



THE DAY OF ACCOUNTING 65 

Our departed brother has already passed through this 
important hour; let us hope that our Lord has mercifully 
accepted his penance, his patience in suffering, and his 
Christian preparation for death. When this important 
hour will come for us, we do not know; it will, however, 
come sooner than we expect. Hence, let us prepare for this 
hour. Let us be reconciled to the Lord by sincere penance. 
Let us employ the time still allotted to us in working out 
our salvation, and try to earn by meritorious deeds the 
reward of heaven. "And in doing good let us not fail. For 
in due time we shall reap, not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). Let us 
now pray. 



XXI 

BEHOLD, A DEAD MAN WAS CARRIED OUT 

And when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, a dead man 
was carried out (Luke VII, 12). 

Dear friends, that which came to pass when the Saviour 
arrived at the gate of Nairn has come to pass at this very- 
hour: we have carried out a dead man, to return him to the 
clay. What the Saviour did on that occasion for the dead 
man, that we cannot do; we cannot raise this dead body, 
what we can do is to take warning from the event and raise our 
own soul to a better life. 

There was once a saintly man who often meditated on 
death, and found himself spiritually benefited by these med- 
itations. He bade the grave-digger call on him every day, 
shovel in hand, to ask him: "Father, when shall I dig your 
grave?" There are not many people who like to think of 
death; most persons when reminded of it by the death 
of someone they know, or otherwise, cannot banish fast 
enough that thought from their mind, yet, notwithstanding 
all shirking of the thought, despite their presumption that 
their hour of death will not come for a Jong time, their hour 
of death is coming stealthily nearer and nearer, and is likely 
to surprise them when least expected. Our own experience 
shows how true this is. One day we see a young child die, 
another day a rosy-cheeked young girl, an athletic youth, 
there a man in the prime of life, here a mother of many children. 
Little, therefore, can we rely upon youth, health, or strength. 
We may be certain that it will not be long before death 
will be knocking at our own door, and let us beware lest the 

66 



BEHOLD, A DEAD MAN WAS CARRIED OUT 67 

death of our body be followed by the everlasting death of 
our soul. 

What brings on the everlasting death of the soul, I need 
hardly tell you: it is mortal sin. The Apostle says: "For 
the wages of sin are death" (Rom. VI, 23), and the royal 
prophet David warns: "Death comes upon them [the sinners] 
and they go down into hell" (Ps. LIV, 16). Therefore, 
woe unto him who dies in sin. And all too easily may this 
happen, dear brethren. At no time are we safe from death: 
it takes us unawares, like a thief at night. Hence, what better 
can we do than to think often of death, and to prepare for 
it by a penitent life? An old legend tells us that Mary Mag- 
dalen was moved to the abhorrence of her sinful life by the 
death of a young friend. It made her think of her own death 
when she saw this youth carried to the burial ground to be- 
come the food of worms. She was overcome with terror, 
she thought of the awful fate in store for her if she should 
die in her sins, and she hastened to prostrate herself before 
Jesus, full of penance and contrition, and, having found mercy 
and forgiveness, she led a penitent life from that time on. 

Would to God we would all be affected in the same way by 
the thought of death! We all have sinned, and we all have 
to fear the judgment of God if death were to overtake us 
suddenly. Hence, let us make haste to turn back to the 
Lord and to make ready for death. "If the householder 
did know what hour the thief would come, he would surely 
watch and would not suffer his house to be broken open," says 
the Saviour. "Be you then also ready, for at what hour 
you think not, the Son of man will come" (Luke XII, 39). 
Hence, do not postpone your penance. You do not know if, 
ere death comes, you will be granted, as was our departed 
sister, the time and grace for penance and for an earnest prep- 
aration for the judgment. "A delayed penance is seldom 



68 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

a good penance,' ' warns St. Augustine. Always endeavour 
to live so as, in the hour of death, you will wish you had 
lived. Then, even though death may surprise you, you will 
be prepared for it; you will die the death of the righteous to 
be received into the Kingdom of God. Now let us pray. 



XXII 
CONDUCT TOWARDS THE SICK 

They brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in bed (Matt. IX, 3). 

Dear brethren, our dear sister has been delivered from 
her sufferings. As you may know, she was sick in bed for 
many months, and suffering great pain. She found com- 
fort in the loving care and comfort shown her by her relations, 
and especially in the frequent reception of the holy Sacra- 
ments and in her prayers to the crucified Saviour, whom she 
tried to imitate by bearing her sufferings in resignation to 
God's holy will. Thus she prepared for a good death and 
laid in store many merits for heaven. Not in all cases are 
sick persons treated with such love and care as our suffering 
sister was. This prompts me, my dear friends, to say a few 
words about the proper conduct and demeanour towards 
sick persons, and I take my text from the gospel of last Sun- 
day which tells of a man whom they carried to Jesus. 

1. The bearers of this sick man had sympathy with his 
helpless condition, therefore they assisted him. They were 
Jews, knowing nothing of the great reward promised by 
Jesus for charity, nor of His threat of punishment for the un- 
charitable, and yet they willingly gave help and sympathy. 
If even these Jews were merciful to the sick, how much more 
does it behoove us to show mercy and love to them — we 
who have the new commandment of the Saviour: "Love 
one another as I have loved you" (John XIII, 34) and the 
assurance, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy" (Matt. V, 7). Indeed, it is our particular duty, 



70 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

as Christians, to show to sick persons, especially to those 
of our own family, loving sympathy and concern and we 
commit sin if we do not care for them — if, instead of giving 
them our sympathy, we inflict upon them by our cold and 
perhaps cruel attitude even greater affliction than the disease 
does. 

%. The right kind of sympathy is that shown by these 
men in the gospel. Their sympathy was not confined to 
words; no, they helped him as best they could. They carried 
him to Jesus that he might be cured. For us, too, dear 
brethren, it is not enough to cheer the sick person with words 
of sympathy, we must help, as far as it is in our power, by 
summoning a physician, by tending and ministering to him 
in the proper way, by letting him have fitting food and re- 
freshments, and by affectionate attention to his needs. 
We are told by the Apostle: "But if any man have not care 
of his own and especially of those of his house, he hath denied 
the faith and is worse than an infidel" (Tim. V, 8). 

3. When these men brought the sick man to Jesus, He 
said to him: "Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven 
thee," and "Arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house" 
(Matt. IX, 2, 6). The Saviour conferred an invaluable bene- 
fit upon this man by curing him of the palsy, but a greater 
benefit still by remitting his sins; since the soul is more valu- 
able than the body, hence the sickness of the soul, sin, is 
more serious than sickness of the body. Therefore, if we de- 
sire to be truly merciful and charitable towards our sick, we 
must not care for their body alone, but also, and especially, 
for their soul. For this reason we should prevail on them in 
good time to receive the holy Sacraments, assist them as far 
as we can to be duly prepared for them, keep away every- 
thing that might excite their mind or even give occasion 
for sin, — such as impatience and anger, for instance, — we 



CONDUCT TOWARDS THE SICK 71 

should read prayers to them, not unnecessarily molest them 
with temporal affairs, and pray for them with fervour, lest 
they depart in sin, possibly by our fault. Let us follow this 
precept of Christian charity, dear brethren. Let us bestow 
upon the sick our love, care, and attention, both for body and 
soul, and avoid everything that might cause them grief or 
irritation. Let us in Christian charity care also, to the best 
of our ability, for the destitute sick, by letting them have 
food or alms, by visiting and consoling them, by praying for 
them. Put yourselves in their place and give them every love 
which you would like to be given by others. "All things, 
therefore, whatsoever you would that men should do to 
you, do you also to them," teaches the Saviour (Matt. V, 12). 
"As long as you did it to one of these, my least brethren, 
you did it to me" (Matt. XXV, 40). The Saviour regards 
every act of charity done to a fellow being as done unto 
Him, and He who has promised to remember the drink of 
water given for His sake, will give us rich reward. Now let 
us pray for our departed sister. 



XXIII 
THE WEDDING GARMENT 

The king saw there a man who had not on a wedding garment 
(Matt. XXII, 11). 

Dear brethren, we need not fear that our departed sister 
is among those who received the terrible sentence of the guest 
who came to the marriage without a wedding garment, as 
told in last Sunday's gospel: "Cast him into the exterior 
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" 
(Matt. XXII, 13). On the contrary, we have reason to hope 
that, adorned in the garment of grace, she was admitted* to 
the marriage feast, because, prior to her departure, she was 
cleansed from sin by the Holy Sacrament of Penance, and 
she died in the love of the Saviour, to whom she became 
united in the Holy Eucharist. We all wish to be admitted 
upon our death to the heavenly feast. To realize this wish, 
however, we must have ready our wedding garment, for 
if we should die, not having a wedding garment, ours will be 
the wretched fate of the unfortunate guest who was cast 
into outer darkness. 

Now, what is this wedding garment, which we must have 
to enter the eternal feast? It consists, as St. Gregory tells us, 
of innocence, humility, and love. Innocence, free from sin, 
hence the possession of sanctifying grace, is the first and 
indispensable condition for admittance to the heavenly 
banquet: nothing unclean can enter there, a soul that enters 
the hereafter burdened with mortal sin will be cast into the 
"exterior darkness." Moreover, to be admitted to the 
heavenly feast, we must be humble, we must love God and 

72 



THE WEDDING GARMENT 73 

our neighbour. How, indeed, could God receive into His 
kingdom a man who proudly ignored God and mocked at 
His commandments? "God resisteth the proud" (Jas. IV, 6), 
and, "He that loveth not, abideth in death" (1. John III, 14), 
he will never gain eternal life. 

The man in the parable had neglected to put on his wedding 
garment; hence, he was cast into the outer darkness. But 
how about ourselves? Have we this wedding garment, 
this very hour? Is our soul free from sin? The virtue of 
humility, is it ours? Can we truthfully declare that we 
love God and our neighbour? If the King of heaven were 
to summon us suddenly to the wedding feast of the spotless 
Lamb, could we hope to be worthy of being admitted? Alas, 
dear brethren, if the truth is to be told, we have cared more 
for money and possessions, for honour and clothes, for joy 
and pleasures, than for the garment of sanctifying grace: 
we are defiled by sin, we are proud and haughty, we have 
not loved God, we have even offended Him by violating His 
commandments. What would happen to us if the King 
of heaven were to appear suddenly? Would He not find many 
without the wedding garment? Could we offer the excuse 
of having been ignorant of the fact that the wedding garment 
is necessary for admittance to the heavenly banquet? We 
could not: for we did know; we have been told of it time and 
again, we have been admonished time and again to do 
penance, to obey the divine commandments. If we have not 
done so, if we lived without heed and without penance, it will 
be our own fault if, in the hour of death, we shall be excluded 
from the heavenly marriage feast, and cast into exterior 
darkness. "If I had not come and spoken to them, they 
would not have sinned," says the Saviour, "but now they 
have no excuse for their sins " (John XV, 22) . 

Dear brethren, there is yet time for us to obtain the wed- 



74 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ding garment of sanctifying grace; there is yet time for grace, 
for penance, and regeneration. We do not know how long 
this respite will be, whether God's forbearance may be at an 
end even to-day or to-morrow; the hour of death is surely 
nearer than we presume, and we know not whether we shall 
be granted the time and the grace to become reconciled to 
God at the hour of death, if before that hour we have neg- 
lected to make our peace with the Lord. 

Hence, let us beware, before it is too late, before eternal 
misery and everlasting suffering shall befall us. Let us 
cleanse our soul from the blemishes of sin, let us adorn it 
with the virtues of humility, of love, and of all virtues that 
follow love, let us live entirely in our Lord Jesus Christ, so 
that when the hour of our departure from this life comes we 
may be able to appear before God without fear. Now let us 
pray for our deceased sister. 



XXIV 

THE WRONG WAY OF PROVIDING 

Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice (Matt. 
VI, 33). 

My friends, we have committed to the grave a man who 
day by day, all through his life, had to work in the sweat of 
his brow to make ends meet. Yet, in all his labour and toil 
he never forgot his God, on whose blessing all depends, who 
never forsakes those who confide in Him, and he did not fail 
to walk before God in righteousness and holy fear. When, 
at last, his strength gave out and he was thrown upon the 
sick-bed, he looked to God and the crucified Saviour for com- 
fort and for the strength to bear his sufferings in patience, 
and, in order to be fortified for the great journey into the 
hereafter, he received Holy Communion and Extreme Unc- 
tion. This, my dear friends, is the right and proper provision 
to be made by the Christian. Alas, how rarely we find this 
proper forethought, how frequently we find a wrong way of 
providing. 

1. Many Christians provide first for the temporal things, 
and for the eternal things last. We are not forbidden to pro- 
vide for temporal things, we are even bidden to do so in a 
reasonable way. Many, however, are for ever asking, in the 
words of last Sunday's gospel : " What shall we eat, what shall 
we drink, wherewith shall we be clothed?" This thought is 
uppermost in their minds, and in their haste to acquire worldly 
goods they often go to their work without having spoken 

75 



76 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

a word of prayer, without having made a good resolution, and 
then they toil and worry in the sweat of their brow till even- 
ing comes, when work ceases, and even then they keep on 
worrying and never find rest. Thus, during their entire life 
they never cease worrying and working, and are occupied even 
in their old age with nothing but providing for the temporal. 
And what are they doing for eternity? what to gain heaven? 
Alas ! very little. At most their devotion on week-days is 
confined to saying the Lord's Prayer morning and evening, 
and that often without devotion: but during the day they 
give little or no thought to God. Should they be upbraided 
by their conscience, then the words of the gospel are fulfilled : 
"And they began all at once to make excuse. The first said 
to him: I have bought a farm and I must needs go out and 
see it; and another said: I have bought five yoke of oxen 
and I go to try them" (Luke XIV, 18). Not even Sundays 
and holidays are employed for the service of the Lord and 
for the salvation of the soul; they are passed in idle rest, in 
amusements, but not in receiving the holy Sacraments and 
in performing good deeds; at best they attend a brief Mass. 
Thus go the days and the years, and when death finally 
comes they have done nothing that would avail them for 
their salvation. 

2. This wrong way of providing for temporal things first, 
and for eternal things last or not at all, is thoroughly wrong 
and fraught with danger to the soul. We are not forbidden 
by God to provide for the temporal; He even imposes it as a 
duty upon us, by bidding us: "Six days shalt thou labour and 
shalt do all thy works"; but He also warned us that our 
supreme duty is to provide for the eternal. "For God has 
not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of 
salvation," says St. Paul (1. Thess. V, 9). This is why Holy 
Writ admonishes us to serve the Lord, to pursue righteous- 



THE WRONG WAY OF PROVIDING 77 

ness and sanctity, that we may attain this salvation. "Seek 
first the kingdom of God and his justice," ordains the Saviour, 
and St. Paul admonishes: "Seek the things that are above, 
where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the 
things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth" 
(Col. Ill, 1, 2). "For this is the will of God, your sanctifica- 
tion" (1. Thess. IV, 3). These words prove that we must, 
first of all, provide for the eternal. 

If we fail to do this, if entirely devoted to temporal things, 
then we are in danger to forfeit the eternal. Heaven is 
promised as a reward only to those who work in the service 
of the Lord, and who endeavour to become rich in good 
deeds. "The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the 
violent bear it away," says the Saviour (Matt. XI, 12). 

How, then, may we expect heavenly reward, if we have 
provided only for our temporal welfare, and done nothing to 
merit eternal reward? Only "a doer of the work shall be 
blessed in his deed," says St. James (I, 25). 

Those who are over-anxious in the pursuit of temporal 
goods do very often not even succeed in that: they share the 
fate of Peter and his companions, who fished all night and 
caught nothing. We read in Holy Scripture: "There is an 
ungodly man who laboureth and maketh haste and is in 
sorrow, and so much the more in want" (Ecclus. XI, 11). 
The blessing of the Lord is not with him: hence, he cannot 
succeed. "Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in 
vain that build it" (Ps. CXXVI, 1). 

Hence, my dear brethren, let us not give undue care to 
temporal things; let us strive more for treasures that are not 
eaten by rust and moths, nor carried away by thieves. Tem- 
poral things are vain and perishable, we must leave them 
here when we die; they cannot give true happiness, neither 
here nor in the hereafter. "What must I do to gain eternal 



78 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

life?" Let this be our question every morning of our lives, 
and let us endeavour to merit the reward of heaven, by fol- 
lowing the divine commandments, by perseverance in virtue 
and in righteousness. Let us now pray that our departed 
brother may reap the reward for his works, etc. 



XXV 

THE FEVERS OF THE SOUL 

At the seventh hour the fever left him (John IV, 52). 

My brethren, like the son of the ruler of Capernaum, of 
whom we were told in last Sunday's gospel, our departed 
brother had been sick with fever. The Saviour made that 
young man whole in body by His Almighty Word : our brother 
was made whole in soul by the same divine Lord, by the worthy 
reception of the holy Sacraments. Men are often suffering 
from violent fevers of the body, they die of them; but oftener 
still the souls of men are diseased with the fever of passions, 
which cause their spiritual and eternal death. 

St. Andrew enumerates various kinds of such fevers of the 
soul. There is the fever called covetousness : those stricken 
with it work incessantly to acquire wealth. There is another 
dangerous fever, raging among young and old; it is the fever 
of concupiscence. Another such fever is revengefulness. 
Others are intemperance, dishonesty, and so on; in fact, 
almost everybody is inclined more or less to one or the other 
of these fevers of the soul. 

My friends, have we ever inquired whether we suffer from 
one kind or the other of the fevers that may bring eternal 
death to the soul? The fever, for instance, with which so 
many are stricken, and which differs from other kinds by in- 
creasing with age, namely, covetousness. The covetous man 
never gets enough; no matter how wealthy he is, he is ever 
tortured by the insatiable desire for more, and to gratify this 
desire he sometimes does not stop at dishonesty. Hence the 

79 



80 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Apostle says: "For they that will become rich, fall into 
temptation and into the snare of the devil, and into many 
unprofitable and hurtful desires which drown men into de- 
struction and perdition" (1. Tim. VI, 9). And the Saviour 
warns us that "It is easier for a camel to pass through the 
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 
of heaven" (Matt. XIX, 24). Again, there is intemperance; 
it ruins the health of the body and soul, leads to vice, to dis- 
pute and quarrel, to neglect of duty and many other sins: it 
is a fever difficult to cure. Hence the Saviour admonishes us : 
"Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be over- 
charged with surfeiting and drunkenness" (Luke XXI, 34), 
and St. Paul includes drunkards among those who shall 
not possess the kingdom of God. A very dangerous fever is 
concupiscence, the disorderly desire for carnal gratification. 
Often neither law, reason, nor religion, is capable of check- 
ing the unchaste in his filthy ways. "For know ye this, and 
understand," says the Apostle, "that no unclean person hath 
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. V, 5). 
Dear brethren, if our body is shaken by a violent fever, we 
at once summon the physician and take the proper remedies 
to soon regain health. If conscience tells us that our soul, 
infinitely more precious than the body, is stricken with one 
of those fevers of sin, is it not our duty to take measures 
even more promptly to regain the health of our soul, to escape 
eternal death? Take pity on your immortal soul; let it not 
die of the fever of covetousness, drunkenness, or lust, or of 
any other fever of sin. Go to confession, and tell your con- 
fessor the particular sickness of your soul, and follow con- 
scientiously his instructions. Resolve earnestly, this very 
day, to fight the fever of your soul, by means of repentance, 
watchfulness, self-denial, and prayer. Let us pray for the 
deceased. 



XXVI 
SOW IN THE SPIRIT 

What things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap (Gal. VI, 8). 

This saying of the Apostle is true in the things of this life, 
for we know that the tiller of the soil reaps only those fruits 
of which he has sown the seed. The words of the Apostle are 
fully as true in regard to spiritual things. Of that which man 
has sown by the deeds of his earthly life, he often reaps part 
here, but more fully and most surely will he reap it in the 
hereafter. Happiness and an everlasting blessed life he will 
reap if he has sown good works : misery and eternal perdition, 
if he has sown evil deeds: "for he that soweth in his flesh, of 
the flesh also shall reap corruption" (Ibid.). It means: he 
who in this life only desires and does that which is pleasing 
to the flesh, to the senses, that which gives him sensual sat- 
isfaction, and who ignores God and does not observe His 
commandments, who knows "no other law than that of his 
members " (Rom. VII, 23), who only thinks of that which is 
suggested to him by the desires of the flesh — he is sowing 
for the flesh, and he will reap no other reward than the one 
that flesh is possessed of, and that is decay and corruption. 
Even in this world the servant of the flesh, the slave to sen- 
sual lust and desires, will reap disgrace and remorse, shame, 
often poverty, disease, and usually a premature death. But 
the bitterest fruit of his wretched sowing he will reap beyond 
the grave, where eternal suffering and everlasting despair 
await him. 

Comforting and blessed will be the harvest of those who in 

81 



82 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

this life sow in the spirit. "But he that soweth in the spirit, 
of the spirit shall reap life everlasting," says St. Paul (Gal. 
VI, 8). What does sowing in the spirit mean? It means to 
hold in check the improper desires and the passions, and to 
combat them incessantly; it means to turn away mind and 
heart from worldly things and to turn them to the imperish- 
able and everlasting, to submit one's will in humility to the 
Will of God, to conform in all things to the, teachings of the 
gospel. To sow in the spirit means, also, the promotion of 
God's honour as far as this is in our power, and to resist evil 
as much as we have the opportunity. This is what is meant 
by sowing in the spirit, and whosoever sows in this way shall 
reap life everlasting; indeed, he will reap even in this world 
a reward, namely, peace of conscience, a cheerful mind, the 
respect of righteous persons, health, a happy death, and after 
death life everlasting and inexpressible joy and pleasure in the 
glory of God. 

My brethren, what a difference in the harvest reaped by 
those who sow in the flesh and those that sow in the spirit! 
How glorious and joyful the one harvest, how bitter and 
ignominious the other! Oh, my brethren, on the day of 
harvest, the sinner will see his delusion and realize too late 
that the things which appeared so pleasing to his sensuality 
were nothing but a delusion and a snare. Then, in his de- 
spair, he will curse the hours and moments when, instead of 
doing the works of God, he did the works of the flesh. What 
a blissful rapture, on the other hand, will the virtuous expe- 
rience on his day of reaping ! He looks back upon his sowing, 
often done under hardship and tears, then looks at the fruit, 
and he sees fulfilled the words of the psalmist: "They that 
sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Ps. CXXV, 5). 

One of these two harvests, my dear brethren, will be the 
lot of everyone of us. Which one of the two would you wish 



SOW IN THE SPIRIT 83 

for yourself? Undoubtedly the one that yields joys and 
blessings even in this life and after death life everlasting. 
But have you sown in the spirit so as to reap the everlasting 
glory of the spirit? Might you have hoped for this blessed 
reaping if you had been laid into this grave, instead of our 
brother? 

Dear brethren, here, at the grave of our brother, let us 
ask ourselves, before God, our future Judge, whether we have 
sown hitherto good or evil, in the spirit or in the flesh. If 
you find that you have sowed sin and evil, oh, begin at once, 
ere death put a stop to it, to sow good seed, think and speak 
nothing but good, do nothing but good, sow in the spirit, then 
you will enjoy even in this life the sweet fruits of your sow- 
ing, and in the hereafter you will reap the joys of everlasting 
life. 

Our departed friend has endeavoured to sow in the spirit; 
hence we may hope that he is now enjoying everlasting life. 
But let us pray. 



XXVII 
ABOUT SICKNESS 

Lazarus was sick, his sisters therefore sent to the Lord, saying: Lord, 
behold, he whom thou lovest is sick (John XI, 13) . 

We are told, dear brethren, that the Saviour, when in 
Bethania, liked to stay at the house of Lazarus; that He loved 
Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. Yet these friends 
of the Lord were not im m une against earthly afflictions. 
Lazarus took sick, and he became so ill that the sisters feared 
the worst. They knew at once where to find help; they turned 
to their truest and mighty Friend, and they sent Him this 
message: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." In 
confidence they left everything further to Him, knowing that 
His was the power to help, the wisdom to know what was 
best, and the love that makes haste to help. And while 
things came somewhat different than they expected, the result 
was glorious, through darkness to fight, through sorrow to 
salvation, through death to resurrection. 

What happened in the house at Bethania has also happened 
in the house of this departed, and it will occur sooner or later 
in every other house. A dear member of the family falls 
sick, he dies, is laid to rest, and awaits there the day of his 
resurrection. 

This induces me to speak a few words of physical suffering 
and sickness, and to advise you what to do in sickness. 

1. "Great labor is created for all men, and a heavy yoke 
is upon the children of Adam, from the day of their coming 
out of their mother's womb, until the day of their burial into 
the mother of all " (Ecclus. XL, 1). The real cause and origin 

84 



ABOUT SICKNESS 85 

of all evil, of pain and sickness, even of death, is not, as the 
godless claim, nature, or the violation of natural forces, but 
sin, for, as the Apostle says: "As by one man sin entered into 
this world and by sin death: and so death passed upon all 
men, in whom all have sinned" (Rom. V, 12). 

This is the hard lot imposed upon us by the sin of Adam. 
Numerous afBictions beset the short course of this life, and 
the end of it is death; for the fall of the first man was, since 
we descend from him, also our fall, his sin was our sin, his 
punishment was our punishment. To this law there is no 
exception; even the most perfect man, and the most virtuous, 
will finally succumb to death. I do not mean to say, by any 
means, that all disease, all suffering, is the immediate conse- 
quence of original sin; on the contrary, if all men would lead 
a pure, temperate, virtuous life, the larger part of the diseases 
we know would not exist. Many diseases, much suffering 
and pain, are the consequence of individual sins. Indeed, it 
seems that each kind of mortal sin has its own peculiar diseases, 
for there are diseases due to anger, to envy and jealousy, to 
drunkenness and gluttony, to immorality, which includes sins 
which the Apostle forbids to be even mentioned by Christians, 
but which are so fatal in their effects that this vice has been 
termed the coffin of the human race. When the man sick of 
the palsy for many years was carried to the Saviour, He said : 
"Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee," and then 
only He said: "Arise, take up thy bed and walk." And to 
dispel all doubt of the fact that the sickness was the result 
of the man's sins, He said to him: "Behold, thou art made 
whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee" 
(John V, 14). Even in the Old Testament we read: "He that 
sinneth in the sight of His Maker, shall fall into the hands of 
the physician" (Ecclus. XXXVIII, 15). Happy the sick and 
suffering who, when stricken by the hand of God, rest their 



86 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

confidence in the Lord, as St. Augustine did, who exclaimed: 
"My God and my Jesus, I am sick and cry to the physician, 
I am miserable because of my sins, and flee to thy mercy, 
I am dead and sigh for life. Jesus of Nazareth, take pity on 
me." Happy those who in sickness, as our departed sister 
did, turn to the greatest of all physicians, He who descended 
from heaven to earth, to whom the physicians of this world 
owe their existence and knowledge, without whose blessing 
all the skill of the worldly physicians and all our remedies are 
fruitless and in vain. And this indicates what to do in case of 
sickness. 

2. Unfortunately, there are many people who in sickness 
do not know of any other remedies but those for sale in drug 
stores. True, it is God's will for us to use in sickness these 
remedies, because His power and mercy have endowed them 
with healing power. Holy Writ says: "Honour the physician 
for the need thou hast of him : for the most High hath created 
him, the most High hath created medicine out of the earth, 
and a wise man will not abhor them " (Ecclus. XXXVIII, 1, 
4). But we read there also (IX, 10) : " My son, in thy sickness 
neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord and he shall heal 
thee. Turn away from sin and order thy hands aright, and 
cleanse thy heart from all offence." The skill of the physi- 
cian, the virtue of medicines, will be more successful when 
the sick person has the peace of a good conscience, and is free 
from the anguish, fear, sadness, and confusion of unremitted 
sin. Therefore it is the will of the holy Church, our loving 
Mother, that a person stricken with dangerous sickness shall 
receive the holy Sacraments, so that, having made his peace 
with God by the worthy reception of the holy Sacraments, 
the patient may be enabled to seek help and comfort in prayer 
to the Lord over life and death, conforming to the words of 
the Holy Ghost: "My Son, cleanse thy heart, then supplicate 



ABOUT SICKNESS 87 

the Lord and he shall make thee whole," and only a mind 
in peace with God can pray with confidence. What such 
confident prayer may do in sickness is seen in the story of 
Ezechias, King of Juda. Being sick to death, he was told by 
Isaias that he must die. " Give charge concerning thy house, 
for thou shalt die, and not live," said the Prophet. Then the 
King wept and prayed, and the Lord bade Isaias return to 
Ezechias and tell him: "Thus saith the Lord; I have heard 
thy prayer and I have seen thy tears and behold I have healed 
thee; on the third day thou shalt go up to the temple of the 
Lord" (4. Kings XX). 

Dear brethren, sickness and death will spare no one of us. 
If we fall sick, let us make use of the natural remedies, but 
let us be sure not to neglect also the spiritual remedies, that 
we may prevail before the judgment of God, should the sick- 
ness prove fatal. Let us do, as our departed sister did, make 
our peace with God in due time, by worthily receiving the 
holy Sacraments, and then we may follow the example of 
King Ezechias in praying to the Lord over life and death, 
that He may give us back our health, or else grant us the 
grace of a good death. If He gives us back our health, let us 
thank Him for it, and avoid henceforth sin, lest something 
worse happen to us. Let us five at all times according to the 
divine law, so that we may be ready for the judgment, if 
death should take us unawares. Though we have good reason 
to hope that our departed sister has been granted that grace 
and mercy, let us pray for her in the spirit of charity. 



XXVIII 
OUR DUTY IN SICKNESS 

My son in thy sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord and 
he shall heal thee. Turn away from sin and order thy hands aright 
and cleanse thy heart from all offence (Ecclus. XXXVIII, 9, 10). 

As the day of death came to our departed brother, so will 
come for us the day when we must part from our dear ones. 
That day is usually ushered in by sickness, and one of our 
illnesses will be our last one. Though the disease may scourge 
the body, and fill the soul with anxiety, it will become a 
blessing, and will change sadness into good cheer, if we em- 
ploy the hours of sickness as God desires us to do. What, 
then, are we to do when taken sick? 

1. At the beginning of any sickness let us directly seek 
our refuge in God. "My son," says Holy Scripture, "in thy 
sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord and he 
shall heal thee. Turn away from sin and order thy hands 
aright and cleanse thy heart from all offence " (Ecclus. 
XXXVIII, 9, 10). Hence, as soon as we take sick, we should 
pray to the Lord for the recovery of our health; first of all, 
however, we should cleanse our heart from sin, by receiving 
the Holy Sacrament of Penance; for our prayer is more likely 
to be granted if it comes from a heart free from sin, according 
to the words inspired by the Holy Ghost: "The Lord is far 
from the wicked, but he will hear the prayers of the just" 
(Prov. XV, 29). If the heart is in sin, it will lack the confi- 
dence so much needed in sickness. If the heart is pure, then, 
even if our sickness should prove fatal, we shall be able to 
meet death serenely and with resignation, because we are rec- 

88 



OUR DUTY IN SICKNESS 89 

onciled to God through the receipt of the holy Sacraments. 
If even a person in the best of health should always be pre- 
pared for death, how much more is this true of the sick per- 
son! If we should fail, when sick, to take refuge in God, to 
make peace with Him by receiving the holy Sacraments, and 
our sickness should suddenly prove fatal, what would happen? 
"The death of the wicked is very evil" is the answer given 
by Holy Writ. "When the wicked man is dead, there shall 
be no hope any more" (Ps. XXXIII, 22; Prov. II, 7). Hence, 
if we duly care for our salvation, and are desirous of dying a 
good, holy death, then we must seek refuge in God forth- 
with; and — 

2. We must remain patient and steadfast during the course 
of our sickness. Nothing does more harm to a sick person 
than impatience — not only physical harm, because of wasted 
strength, but also spiritual harm, because then the soul does 
not only forego the merits to be gained by being patient, 
but it becomes burdened with fault. Hence, if God should 
send us sickness, let us willingly accept it from His hand and 
endure its pains with patience. St. Paul tells us : "For patience 
is necessary for you, that, doing the will of God, you may re- 
ceive the promise" (Heb. X, 36). "To bear sickness with 
patience," advises St. Bede, "will save us from purgatory, 
because then it will serve as temporal penalty for our sins." 
In order to gain strength for such patience we should think 
of our sins, which may have deserved a harder punishment 
than the pains of our sickness. Let us, then, thank the Lord 
for cleansing us through affliction, and for affording us an 
opportunity to gather merits for the hereafter. A prayer in 
humility and confidence will gain us the grace of patience, 
for "the Lord directs your hearts in the charity of God and 
the patience of Christ," says the Apostle (2. Thess. Ill, 5). 
Indeed, Christ Himself, in His bitter passion and death, has 



90 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

given us the most beautiful example of patience, which we 
should try and imitate in the days of sickness. Hence, St. 
Paul exhorts us: "Looking on Jesus, the author and finisher 
of faith, who, having joy set before him, endured the cross 
. . . Think diligently upon him . . . that you not be wearied, 
fainting in your minds " (Heb. XII, % 3) . And St. James says : 
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he 
has been proved he shall receive the crown of life, which God 
has promised to them that love him" (James I, 12). 

If death should at last come, then we shall accept it re- 
signedly from God's hand. He alone knows what is best for 
us. Die we must, what does it much matter when, since all 
depends finally upon a good and blessed death, and this we 
shall accomplish by a death in faith, hope, and charity, cleansed 
from sin, fortified by Holy Communion, and by the Sacra- 
ment of Extreme Unction. "Blessed are the dead who die in 
the Lord. From henceforth, says the spirit, that they may 
rest from their labours; for their works follow them" (Apoc. 
XIV, 13). 

I Such, my brethren, was the death of our departed brother, 
who could say with David: "My heart is ready, Oh God, my 
heart is ready" (Ps. LVI, 8). We may hope, therefore, that 
he died the death of the righteous. Let us, too, when visited 
with sickness, cleanse, first of all, our heart from sin, fortify 
ourselves with the Sacraments of the Church, bear patiently 
the afflictions of sickness, leave the matter of life or death to 
Divine Providence, after we have done our share. May all 
our thoughts and actions be guided by the wish to die the 
death of the righteous; for "precious in the sight of the Lord 
is the death of his saints" (Ps. CXV, 16). Now let us pray 
for the deceased. 



XXIX 

THE DEATH-BED 

For there is a time when thou must fall in the physician's hand 
(Ecclus. XXXVIII, 13). 

You know, my dear brethren, that our departed sister, 
who died fortified by the holy rites of the Church and resigned 
to God's holy Will, was sick for a long time, suffering intense 
pain which the skill of the physician could hardly alleviate. 
There will be a time for everyone of us when we fall into the 
hands of the physician, unless ours be a sudden death which 
God may graciously prevent. If the physician is not able to 
cure our sickness, then the sick-bed becomes our death-bed. 
To this we usually give little thought; yet it is wholesome for 
us, even in the days of good health, to frequently imagine 
ourselves on the death-bed, and this shall be the subject of 
our present meditation. 

1. Death is, as a rule, preceded by sickness. It is often a 
time of bitter woe for the poor patient. Put yourself in his 
place. His body tortured by pains, no sleep at night, the 
sight of food nauseating to him, he is helpless, the worry about 
his affairs and his family increases his sufferings. He moans 
and begs for alleviation and help, but all remedies fail to re- 
lieve the pain : the days pass by, each day more bitter than the 
previous one, until finally comes the greatest agony, the strug- 
gle with death. In some cases the patient departs from this life 
as if in a peaceful slumber, hardly feeling the departure of 
the soul from the body, but more frequently the struggle 
between life and death is full of anguish and intense pain, 

91 



92 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

indeed, the agony is often so heartrending that the bystanders 
are horrified at the sight. 

Yet more intense than even this physical pain is the pain 
of the soul. 

On his death-bed man is, as it were, between two worlds — 
the world he must leave and the world he must enter. Fright- 
ened he looks backward over the past fife and forward to the 
future life. What does he see looking backward? Even if 
he has led a Christian life, he does not feel entirely free from 
fault: he sees many violations of duty, many deeds of self- 
love; he might have served the Lord more faithfully, might 
have increased his claims upon eternal reward; his soul is 
saddened by this thought, and he grows faint-hearted. What, 
then, does he see on his death-bed if he has led an unchristian 
life? He sees things that will make him tremble, things that 
will fill his heart with terror. His evil deeds, his violations 
of divine laws, arise before him. He sees the wrong he has 
done to others, the enmities he has kept up, his unchaste 
actions. He sees his numerous neglects of duties, the count- 
less offences he has given; in brief, he sees all his many sins, 
and "fear seizes upon him and trembling, and all his bones 
are affrighted ,, (Job IX, 14). 

And looking to his future, more anguish will take hold of 
his soul. Even the righteous feels uncertain of prevailing 
before the Lord, "who judges justly and tries the reins and 
the hearts" (Jer. XI, 20), and who "will render to a man his 
work, and according to the ways of every one he will reward 
them" (Job, XXXIV, 11). The righteous will ask himself: 
May I hope to find mercy before the eternal Judge, or must 
I fear that my works, when weighed in the balance of justice, 
will be found wanting? If thus even the righteous looks for- 
ward to eternity with anxiety, who may picture the anguish 
and horror that will overcome the soul of the sinner, when he 



THE DEATH-BED 93 

realizes that soon he will be called, with all his sins and vices, 
before the Judge, who will reward every man according to his 
works? 

"And if the just man shall scarcely be saved, where shall 
the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1. Pet. IV, 18). 

2. Such, my brethren, is the woe of the death-bed, and this 
woe will befall everyone of us, sooner or later. "For it is 
appointed unto man once to die." Where may we then find 
comfort? Where else but in our Lord and Saviour, since, in 
the words of the Apostle, "of God is made unto us wisdom, 
and justice, and sanctification and redemption" (1. Cor. I, 
30) . By contemplating the sufferings endured by the spotless 
Lamb of God, the sick man is induced to bear his bodily 
pains with patience, and confidence in the merits of the Cru- 
cified will bring him pardon for his sins, if he contritely con- 
fesses them. He finds consolation in the truth that his Re- 
deemer is the God of infinite love, of whom it is written that 
"a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall 
not extinguish" (Matt. XII, 20); that his Redeemer "is come 
to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke XIX, 10); 
that his Redeemer pardoned Mary Magdalen and promised 
paradise to the repenting thief. And when the patient through 
the holy Sacraments has received sanctifying grace, he will 
die in peace, in the confidence of receiving the reward prom- 
ised by the Lord to those who love Him; and he may exclaim 
with the Apostle: "I have a desire to be dissolved and to be 
with God" (Phil. I, 23). 

If you, my friends, wish this comfort to be yours when 
once you He upon your death-bed — and who would not wish 
it? — then take to heart the exhortation of the Saviour: 
"Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God and his justice" 
(Matt. VI, 33). Aim, first of all, at heaven, and practise the 
virtues of justice, humility, meekness, chastity, patience, 



94 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

and charity, and if your soul be oppressed by the conscious- 
ness of having given offence to God, do penance forthwith, 
and return to God; for "the Lord desireth not the death of 
the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live" 
(Ez. XXXIII, 11). Let us now pray for the deceased. 



XXX 

THE HOLY VIATICUM 

And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint 
in the way (Mark VHI, 3). 

Our departed sister, whose mortal remains we have returned 
to the earth, died a Christian death; it was granted to her 
to acquire merit by patiently enduring the sufferings of a 
long sickness, and to receive shortly before her death the Holy 
Eucharist as Viaticum, after she had in the course of sickness 
often received this Holy Sacrament. Would to God that this 
grace be also ours, my dear brethren! For the words which 
the Saviour in His compassion said, when He fed the mul- 
titude: "If I shall send them away fasting to their homes, 
they will faint on the way," also concern us, for we all shall 
some day have to undertake this journey, because "man 
shall go into the house of Eternity" (Eccl. II, 5), says Holy 
Writ. How great, therefore, our need of strength! For 
this purpose the merciful God, who does not want us to faint 
on the way, has provided the Holy Viaticum, which bestows 
upon us the graces necessary (1) for dying a good death, and 
(2) for life everlasting. 

1. The Holy Viaticum bestows upon us the graces for dying 
a good death. It often happens, indeed, that the patient is 
restored to health by the Holy Viaticum, which is Christ 
Jesus, the greatest Physician, who during His life on earth 
healed many infirmities and diseases, so that even those who 
but touched His garment were made whole. What He did 
then He can do now, and, indeed, He does it; for He is 

95 



96 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

"Jesus Christ yesterday and to-day and the same for ever" 
(Heb. XIII, 9). 

When sin, the cause of sickness, is removed by sincere re- 
ception of the Bread of Life, there often is removed also 
the disease. While this does not always happen, the Holy 
Viaticum is in all cases a great comfort to the sick. When 
in sickness our sufferings have become so intense that there 
is no earthly comfort left, where else can we turn than to the 
"God of all comfort ?" "For, as the sufferings of Christ 
abound in us, so also by Christ doth our comfort abound" 
(2. Cor. 1, 3, 5). He who devoutly receives Jesus in the 
Most Holy Eucharist is given the grace to suffer in patience 
for His sake, and he receives comfort and alleviation; "the 
Lord helps him on his bed of sorrow " (Ps. XLI, 3) . And since 
Jesus promises, "Come to me, all you that labour and are 
burdened, and I will refresh you" (Matt. XI, 28), will He not 
do this all the more, when, in the Holy Eucharist, He comes 
to us. And He will also calm our dread of death. 

Fear and trembling come upon man when death approaches 
to rob him of his earthly possessions, of friends and rela- 
tives, even of his body; but St. Cyrillus says: "It is impos- 
sible for death to resist Him, who is the life himself, Jesus 
Christ, who has brought us life and immortality, and who has 
given us in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar the bread of life, 
so that one partaking of it need not fear death." Strengthened 
by the Bread of life, the early Christians underwent cheer- 
fully the most cruel martyrdom. 

The Holy Viaticum, finally, bestows the fulness of inner 
graces. It bestows the grace of perfect penitence. The 
patient has made his peace with God in the Sacrament of 
Penance, and the sanctifying grace thus received will be 
even increased by the Holy Eucharist, suffering for the 
sake of God is made more meritorious, the soul's resistance 



THE HOLY VIATICUM 97 

to sin will be strengthened. The patient has partaken of 
a banquet of love, instituted by the God of love Himself. 
It gives Him also the grace of perseverance, to resist vic- 
toriously all temptations and attacks of the Evil One. This 
is expressed in the words of the priest when giving the Holy 
Viaticum: "Receive the Viaticum of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which shall protect thee against the Evil One and guide thee 
to life everlasting." 

2. The Holy Viaticum gives us not only the graces for a 
good death, but also the grace to receive everlasting life. He 
who intends to journey to a distant country makes his prepa- 
rations in time; he secures letters of introduction. What 
better introduction can we offer upon entering eternity than 
the Holy Viaticum which is "the pledge of life everlasting?" 
The Saviour gives us the assurance: "He that eateth my 
flesh and drinketh my blood, hath life everlasting, and I 
will raise him up in the last day" (John VI, 55). 

On our last journey we need, more than anything else, 
a safe-conduct. With the Bread of life we receive "the 
Lord of Hosts, whom the angels are serving." Angels were 
painted on the Ark of the Covenant, to indicate that angels 
are always near the sanctuary of the Lord: may we not 
be sure that ministering angels come to the sick-room with 
the Holy Viaticum, to take care of the soul of the dying 
and to conduct him into eternity? This also is expressed in 
the prayer spoken by the priest when giving the Holy Viati- 
cum: "Hear us, Oh Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, 
and send graciously down from heaven thy holy angels, to 
watch, to save, to defend, to visit and protect all those 
dwelling in this place, through Christ our Lord." 

When entering eternity, we wish to find a merciful Judge. 
Who, then, is the Judge but Jesus Christ? Who will not fear 
to appear before His judgment seat, especially those who 



98 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

have been in their sins the adversaries of this Judge? The 
Saviour counsels: "Be at agreement with thy adversary 
betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him : lest perhaps the 
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver 
thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison" (Matt. V, 
25). After our death Jesus is the stern Judge; in our life He 
is the loving Friend. 

He who worthily receives Jesus in the Holy Viaticum has 
become reconciled to Him, and he has made a friend of the 
Judge. 

In entering eternity, finally, we wish for a strong advocate. 
No matter how holy the life he has led, no man may claim to 
be quite without blame, no man may rely solely upon his own 
merits before God. Here, again, it is Jesus, received in the 
Holy Sacrament, who supports us with His merits. "If any 
man sin," says the evangelist, "we have an advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the just: and he is the propitia- 
tion for our sins" (John I, 2). 

Thus you see, my dear friends, that we receive in the Holy 
Viaticum the fulness of graces for a peaceful death and for 
life everlasting; hence, in the words of St. Lawrence, the 
Holy Viaticum is the surest pledge of eternal beatitude. 
Oh, how foolish, how careless, how inexcusable are those, 
who, when critically ill, postpone the receipt of the Holy 
Eucharist until they are scarcely able to receive it worthily, 
or perhaps die without receiving it! 

And what cruelty on the part of relatives, who in false 
sentiment hide from the sick his state of danger, causing him 
to die without having received the holy Sacraments, or to 
receive them so late, that he is unable to prepare for a worthy 
reception ! Never be guilty of this great sin. You would have 
to answer for it before the judgment seat of the Lord. If 
one of your family should fall sick, let your first care be to 



THE HOLY VIATICUM 99 

prevail upon him to receive the Holy Viaticum. It may lead 
to his recovery. But even should this not be the case, he 
will, at any rate, obtain the grace to die peacefully and to 
live eternally. If one of you should fall sick, turn to the Lord 
without fail, do not put off preparing for the great and danger- 
ous journey by worthily receiving the Holy Viaticum, lest 
death surprise you. But if you desire to receive the Holy 
Sacrament worthily in your hour of death, you must receive 
it often during your lives, and receive it with the same fer- 
vour as if it were your last Viaticum. Let us pray for the 
deceased. 



XXXI 
EXTREME UNCTION 

Is any man sick among you, let him bring in the 'priests of the Church 
and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of 
the Lord (Jas. V, 14). 

Our deceased brother has succumbed to his lingering ill- 
ness, during which he repeatedly received the holy Sacra- 
ments of Penance and of the Altar, yet it was not granted to 
him to receive the Holy Sacrament of Extreme Unction. He 
did not consider his condition critical and hoped for recovery. 
But death took him suddenly. His fate is the fate of many 
sick. They do not heed in time the advice of St. James: 
"Is any man sick among you, let him bring in the priests of 
his church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with 
the oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall 
save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if 
he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him" (Jas. V, 14, 15). 
People often have the false idea that death must surely follow 
the administration of Extreme Unction. This is not so; 
on the contrary this Sacrament bestows not only grace, com- 
fort, and relief, but sometimes brings about a speedy recovery. 
The great importance of Extreme Unction I wish to point out 
to you to-day for your serious consideration. 

1. At no time in life is man more in need of consolation, 
of peace, and of help than in the days of his sickness. When, 
racked by pain, the body lies on the bed, then the delusions of 
life are dispelled, and the heart is in dread of eternity. The 
patient's mind is in sadness at the thought of having to part 
from his family, from his possessions, from everything he 
valued and cherished on earth; and when he finally realizes 
that death is nigh, and with it the judgment, when he will 

100 



EXTREME UNCTION 101 

have to render an accounting to a stern Judge, then he is 
seized with anguish; he longs for comfort and encourage- 
ment. Where may he seek and find this? Where else but 
with the Saviour, who said: "Come to me, all you that labour 
and are burdened, and I will refresh you" (Matt. XI, 28). 
Jesus Christ, man's truest Friend, who offers help in all 
situations and conditions of life, would not leave His faithful 
without comfort and help in the last and most trying hour of 
life; hence He instituted a special Sacrament for the sick and 
dying, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, which, through 
anointment with the holy oil and the prayer of the priest, 
imparts to the sick the grace of God for the welfare of the soul, 
and often also for the welfare of the body. The purpose of 
this Sacrament is defined by the words of St. James, and the 
Church has declared at the Council of Trent that "He who 
says, Extreme Unction be not a true and veritable Sacrament 
instituted by Christ our Lord, and testified to by St. James 
the Apostle, but only a traditional custom, or a human inven- 
tion, he be excommunicated." 

2. The effects of the Sacrament are also described by St. 
James: they are beneficial to the soul and body. The sick, 
having already been justified by the Sacrament of Penance, 
becomes even more just and holy through Extreme Unction. 
The Sacrament brings also remission of sin, for St. James says : 
"if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him." Commenting 
thereon, St. Thomas Aquinas says: "It may happen that 
there remains after confession a mortal sin, because the dy- 
ing person may not have been conscious of it, or was not able 
to confess it; this sin is removed by this Sacrament; thus the 
case may happen that beatitude is gained through this Sacra- 
ment by one who otherwise would have been lost." Extreme 
Unction worthily received will in any case remove venial 
sins, and temporal punishment for sins already remitted. 



102 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Extreme Unction, finally, fortifies the patient in his sufferings 
and temptations, and especially in the death struggle; for 
St. James says: "the Lord shall raise him up" and the Council 
of Trent teaches: "Extreme Unction relieves and fortifies 
the soul of the sick, by awakening in him a great confidence 
in the divine mercy; thus he will be uplifted, to better endure 
the troubles and hardships of sickness, and to resist better 
the temptations of the devil." 

Extreme Unction often brings relief in sickness, and, in- 
deed, sometimes entire recovery. St. James says: "And the 
prayer of faith shall save the sick man." True, many re- 
ceive Extreme Unction without recovering their health. 
Extreme Unction has for its chief object the welfare of the soul; 
the health of the body is only a secondary consideration, sub- 
ordinate to the chief object, and restored only if God so 
wills it, and if salutary for the sick one. 

Such, my dear brethren, are the effects of Extreme Unction. 
In the dreadful last moments of life, when we. may think our- 
selves forsaken by everyone, Jesus comes to our assistance 
with a Sacrament of healing power. He pardons_our remaining 
sins, He makes our physical sufferings endurable, and soothes 
our oppressed and faint heart with the balm of heavenly 
comfort and divine strength, that we may depart hopefully 
and peacefully in the grace of God. 

Let us thank God for His tender love. Let us also profit 
of this love by receiving Extreme Unction in proper time 
and with great devotion. Let us not be deceived by the 
dangerous delusion that those who receive this Sacrament 
will surely die, let us not forfeit a means of salvation without 
which many will be in greater danger of succumbing in their 
last battle with the devil. Hence, if you should fall sick to-day 
or to-morrow, remember the words of St. James: "Is any 
man sick among you? etc." Now let us pray for the deceased. 



XXXII 

THE MASS FOR THE DEAD 

A gift has grace in the sight of all the living; but restrain not grace 
from the dead (Eccl. VII, 37). 

St. Monica, on her death-bed, summoned her two sons, 
Navigius and Augustine, before her and said: "When I am 
dead, bury this body and do not mourn. But grant me one 
prayer: Remember me at the altar of] the Lord." She had 
always found a rich source of comfort in the Holy Sacrifice 
of the Mass, and hoped to obtain through it her delivery 
from purgatory, if she should not be found worthy to be ad- 
mitted at once to the kingdom of God. Our departed sister 
also died with a strong belief in the efficiency of the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass, and it was her last wish that her sur- 
viving children should arrange for Masses to be read for 
her soul, and to remember her soul whenever attending 
Mass. She had every reason for this belief. For Holy Mass 
is the continuance and unbloody renewal of the great Sacri- 
fice of Atonement, rendered to His heavenly Father by Jesus 
when He gave His life for the salvation of all men. There is no 
difference between Christ's sacrifice on the Cross and the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass on the altar, except that one was offered 
on the Cross as a bloody sacrifice, whereas the other is offered 
on the altar without the shedding of blood. The Holy Sac- 
rifice of the Mass is identical in its benefits with Christ's 
sacrifice of atonement on the Cross, and since the sacrifice 
of Jesus on the Cross, hence, also, the Holy Sacrifice of the 
Mass, is a sacrifice of atonement for all children of God, I 
ask: Are His children only those still in this life? Are not 
those His children, also, who have died in His grace? 

103 



104 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Has Jesus died His death of atonement for the living only, 
and not for those v/ho died while in the state of grace, yet 
burdened with minor faults? No, my dear brethren, according 
to the teaching of the Church, it is an atoning sacrifice for 
the dead also, a sacrifice by virtue of which they are cleansed 
from remaining blemishes, and are granted remission of such 
temporal penalties for their sins as they did not expiate during 
life. Hence, it was customary even in the early days of the 
Church to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the dead. 
"We are praying for the dead," says St. Cyprian, "and sac- 
rifice Jesus Christ for their sake, that God may be gracious 
and merciful to them." St. Chrysostom states: "Already 
in the days of the Apostles, it was ordered and not without 
good reason, to remember the dead in the Holy Sacrifice: 
for when priests and faithful offer this Sacrifice of Atonement, 
how can it be possible for God, not to hear the prayers also 
for those who have died in the faith and in His love?" 

This was at all times the view of the Church regarding the 
benefit which the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass yields for the 
dead, and the Council of Trent, when proclaiming that there 
is a purgatory, proclaimed also that the souls in purgatory 
may be aided by prayer, and especially by the Holy Sacrifice 
of the Mass. 

Hence, my brethren, do not deny this aid to your dead, 
do not deny this aid to your departed relatives, friends, and 
acquaintances. "A gift has grace in the sight of all the liv- 
ing," says Holy Scripture, "but restrain not grace from the 
dead." The dead are in great need of your help; the souls 
suffering in purgatory are poor souls indeed; they are under- 
going sufferings, bitter sufferings, partly to atone for lesser 
sins, partly because in life they failed to expiate the temporal 
penalties for past sins. In purgatory they are being cleansed 
by the punishment they undergo there, and they do not know 



THE MASS FOR THE DEAD 105 

when the longed-for day will come when they shall be ad- 
mitted into the presence of God, nor have they any means 
of their own to alleviate their suffering, to shorten their 
term. But what they cannot do, you can accomplish by 
prayers, by good works, and, especially, through the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass. Hence, remember the poor souls 
at every Holy Mass, and beseech God that He may be 
merciful to them for the sake of Christ's merits, and that He 
may soon admit them into His presence. 

In view of the long and bitter sufferings which souls have 
to endure in purgatory to atone for lesser sins and for neglect 
of penance, should we not feel impelled to avoid henceforth 
not only mortal sins, but also lesser sins, to be urged on to 
greater zeal in doing good, so that we may escape purgatory 
and its punishments? Too little importance is usually at- 
tributed to venial sins. How lukewarm and remiss we are 
in doing good ! If we should die to-day or to-morrow, where 
would our souls go? Answer this question for yourself. If 
your conscience tells you that your soul is burdened with 
grave sin, oh, do not postpone your penance; for unknown 
to you is the hour of your death. If your conscience tells 
you that your soul is defiled with venial sins, you must sin- 
cerely repent of them too. Be zealous in doing good, and 
seek your refuge in the treasures of grace offered by indul- 
gences, so that you need not make up in the hereafter by great 
suffering for what you have neglected to do in this life. 

In offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for our departed 
sister, let us pray for her and for all other departed who were 
near and dear to us. Let us think also of ourselves, and let us 
pray to God that He may fill us with a horror of sin, and that 
He may grant us the spirit of penance. Let us now pray for 
the departed. 



XXXIII 
PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD 

"Lord, give unto her eternal rest"; thus we pray to-day 
at this grave, as we do at each funeral; thus we speak when 
remembering the dead in prayer. We cannot know whether 
the souls of the departed have already entered heaven, or 
must first be cleansed in purgatory, and, therefore, Christian 
charity obliges us to remember the dead, and to pray that 
God in His mercy may shorten their penalties, alleviate 
their torments, and admit them soon into His presence. 

Terrible, indeed, are the tortures which the poor souls un- 
dergo in purgatory. "The least of the pains which the poor 
souls are suffering in purgatory," says St. Anselm, "is in- 
finitely greater than the worst torture that human cruelty 
has ever invented, or could invent; for God's justice is pun- 
ishing these souls, and makes them expiate offences they 
committed in life against God. While the souls in purgatory 
suffer so severely, they do not know the day when they will 
be admitted into heaven; worse still, they have no means 
at hand to speed this day; for night has come upon them, when 
none can work. Their time for personal merit has ceased. 
With the last breath of life that what has not been done then 
can no longer be done; whatever has been neglected then 
can no longer be accomplished. Poor souls they are indeed 
. . . the poorest of the poor on earth is not so wretched as 
they are, for he can do penance for his sins and work for his 
salvation; but they are helpless; bound upon the rack, they 

106 



PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD 107 

must endure the scourging until they have atoned for all 
their sins and shortcomings." 

But we can come to their aid, mindful of the words of the 
Apostle : " Have compassion on them that are in bonds " (Heb. 
X, 34), and because the Church has taught, since the times 
of the Apostles, that the faithful may speed the delivery of 
the dead from purgatory by devout prayer, by the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass, by alms, indulgences, and other good 
works. This is the reason why we pray for the dead, why 
we offer Holy Masses for the peace of their souls, why we 
give alms for their comfort, why we give them the benefit of 
indulgences and of Holy Communions: we know by our 
faith, that, for the sake of these good works, the merciful 
Lord will be gracious to the poor souls, mitigate their pains, 
and shorten their sentence. 

Hence, dear friends, you who are mourning the loss of a 
good mother, sister, or other kin, I advise you, in the words 
of St. Ambrose: "I believe we should bewail the dead less 
and say more prayers for them: tears avail them not; rec- 
ommend their souls to the Lord by prayers and sacrifice; it 
is thus that you may benefit them. Brighten the remem- 
brance of the dead with the evergreen of good works and the 
roses of prayer. This is the most beautiful wreath to lay 
upon the graves of your beloved.'' 

To-day we pray for our departed sister, that God may 
have mercy on her soul. And pray for her not only to-day, 
but often, as well as for your other deceased relatives and 
friends. "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray 
for the dead, that they be loosed from sins" (2. Mach. XII, 
46). And do not fail to think of your own salvation. Ask 
yourselves: If I should die to-day or to-morrow, where 
would I go? And should your conscience tell you that your 
sins would call for severest punishment, then tarry not, be- 



108 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

seech the Lord to pardon your sins, try and pay the temporal 
penalties for your sins here by works of penance. "Work 
your salvation, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no 
man can work" (John IX, 4). We shall now pray for the 
departed. 



XXXIV 
PREPARING FOR DEATH 

Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live (4. Kings 
XX, 1). 

Anyone intending to go on an extended journey to a dis- 
tant country will carefully make his plans and preparations, 
for a journey of this kind must be well considered, many 
things will have to be arranged and provided for before the 
departure. The route will be carefully chosen, as well as the 
proper road to travel by; leave will be taken from family 
and friends, and, of course, the means for the journey, will 
have been provided, as no one would wish to start with insuffi- 
cient means, let alone with empty pocket. And a certain jour- 
ney into a distant country will some day be made by every- 
one of us. When our pilgrimage on earth is ended, our soul 
will journey to the land of the Great Beyond. This, our last 
and by all means our most important trip, decisive for all 
eternity, the trip from this life to the other world — must 
it not call for most earnest preparation? We know the land 
where after death the delivered soul will be conducted by the 
angels of the Lord. Eternity is not a land unknown, it has 
become our true home through the Crucifixion, Resurrection, 
and Ascension of Jesus Christ, and every good Christian 
makes it the destination of his pilgrimage, the comfort of his 
earthly sufferings, and the goal of all his aims. 

Hence, let us not tarry — for there must be no tarrying. 
Here, this day, we hear the voice of God, let not your heart 
be hardened. Whether to-morrow will belong to us, who 

109 



110 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

can tell? This death, which has brought us to this place, is a 
warning call of the Lord, to think of our own death, and to 
prepare earnestly and conscientiously for it. 

To Ezechias, the King of Juda, the Prophet Isaias came 
and brought him this message of the Lord God : " Give charge 
concerning thy house, for thou shalt die." Imagine this 
message were given to you, right at this hour! How would 
you take it? Is your house set in order, or, what is more 
important still, is your soul ready? You are not told, as 
Ezechias was, the very hour when to expect death, yet, per- 
ceive the kindness of the Lord, His call to prepare for that 
hour is sent to everyone of us, and in good time too. No day 
goes by without reminding us that we are frail and mortal, 
that death is certain, but the hour uncertain. We are warned 
to prepare for that hour. Can we afford to tarry until we are 
thrown upon our sick-bed, and the messengers of death are 
hovering about? How do we know that our illness will last 
long enough that we may have the time to obtain the grace 
to prepare for a good death? May we not be stricken by sud- 
den death, to die in sin, and go to eternal perdition? "Man 
knoweth not his own end," says Holy Writ, "but as fishes 
are taken with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, 
so men are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come 
upon them" (Eccl. IX, 12). Thus, if we have at heart the 
eternal salvation of our immortal soul, if we desire a blessed 
death, we must not delay our preparation from one day to 
the other, we must consider our whole life as a preparation for 
eternity, and make use of it accordingly. 

How can this be done? In the first place, by frequently 
thinking of death. Not only will this thought prevent us 
from unduly attaching our heart to the things of this world, 
from pursuing sensual pleasures, and from giving offence to 
God, but it will urge us to penance, if we have been unfortu- 



PREPARING FOR DEATH 111 

nate enough to offend the Lord. To prepare for a good death, 
we must lead a Christian life, a life according to the precepts 
of the divine commandments; we must try to keep our 
conscience clear, and make use of the proper means to attain 
this — for instance, meditation on the eternal truths, attending 
Holy Mass frequently, daily examination of conscience, re- 
ceiving often the holy Sacraments of Penance and of the 
Altar, fervent prayer, works of Christian charity, devotion 
to the Blessed Virgin, and so on. "To do all this," says St. 
Alphonsus of Liguori, "will be the sign of being chosen." 
Can there be greater peace for the soul than when, upon re- 
tiring at night, it is able to say: If death should come this 
night, I may hope to die in the grace of God. 

Who among us would not wish for this good fortune? Let 
us, therefore, begin at once with this daily preparation for 
death. Then death may come to-day or to-morrow; we shall 
not need to dread his coming, but rather welcome it as the 
call to our native land in heaven. "But the just shall live 
evermore; and their reward is with the Lord and the care 
of them with the most High. Therefore shall they receive a 
kingdom of glory and a crown of beauty at the hand of the 
Lord" (Wisd. V, 16, 17). Our departed sister has prepared 
for a good death by a Christian life, and by receiving the 
holy rites of the Church, and so we hope that the precious 
faith be given to her "and a most acceptable lot in the temple 
of God. For the fruit of good labours is glorious" (Wisd. Ill, 
14, 15). Let us pray. 



XXXV 

THE GRAVE 

And they buried him in his sepulchre (4. Kings IX, 28). 

Dear brethren, of Ozochias, the King of Juda, the Bible 
says: "And they buried him in his sepulchre." We have 
just now buried our departed brother, and since the grave is 
man's last place on earth, it will be said of everyone of us in 
time: "they buried him in his sepulchre." When death has 
come, the deceased is laid in his coffin, the family and friends 
sadly look on him a last time, and then the coffin is closed, 
and the body is carried out of the house he lived in to the grave- 
yard, to be surrendered to the dust from which it came. Thus 
Job's words are fulfilled: "The grave is mine house, I have 
made my bed in darkness. I have said to rottenness: Thou 
art my father: to worms, my mother and my sister." Like 
our departed brother, so we too, shall finally rest in the 
grave, sooner or later, and our lot will be oblivion and 
corruption. 

1. Have you ever considered how arduously people will work, 
what risks they will take, to become rich in money and pos- 
sessions. They are forever scheming and planning, work- 
ing and hustling, often even lying and cheating, to gather 
together as much as they can. And yet what will be left to a 
man ultimately, of all that he has amassed? Nothing but the 
four boards of a coffin and the shroud. "For we brought 
nothing into this world," says the Apostle, "and certainly we 
can carry nothing out" (1. Tim. VI, 7). Wealthy and poor 
are equals in the grave, both will be quickly forgotten. Even 
those who enjoyed the highest honours, after death they are 
spoken of a short while, but soon all talk about them ceases, 

112 



THE GRAVE 113 

soon no one knows even their grave. This will also be our fate; 
"thou shalt be forgotten,' , says the prophet (Ex. XXI, 32). 
In this life you are anxious to be honoured and respected by 
men, "yet thou shalt be forgotten." Your body, which you 
value so much, which you are feeding and dressing with 
great care, for which you lavishly provide joys and amuse- 
ments — this body will soon rot in the grave. "One man 
dieth strong and hale, and rich and hearty," says Job, "an- 
other in bitterness of soul without any riches, and yet they 
shall sleep together in the dust and worms shall cover them" 
(Job XXI, 23, 25, 26). 

When St. Gregory was Pope, there died a young girl of 
great beauty, and her lover, a young nobleman, nearly be- 
came insane for grief. Since he would not be consoled, and it 
was feared that he would commit suicide, St. Gregory had 
the corpse exhumed, and when the young nobleman, shocked 
at the sight of its decomposition, turned to hasten away, the 
Pope took his hand and said: "Do not flee, my son, rather 
behold the picture of death. See the hideous head, the eyes 
extinguished, the skin black, the horrors of ravage and of 
worms. Behold the object of thy passion, behold her, for 
whose sake thou hast been willing to give up soul, eternal life, 
and God, behold and see." Such, indeed, is the end of earthly 
glory. Ultimately man will lie in the ground, despoiled, for- 
saken, the prey of corruption, nothing remaining, finally, but 
a handful of dust and bones. 

2. But, my brethren, shall the human body, this master- 
piece of creation, the very body that in Holy Communion 
has been blessed by the presence of God, shall it remain for 
ever in the darkness of the grave, for ever in the fetters of 
corruption? No; it shall not, a ray of light relieves the 
darkness of the grave. We are assured by faith that the 
dead shall return to life, and they shall one day emerge from 



114 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

their graves. "Amen, I say unto you," says the Saviour, 
"that the hour cometh and now is when the dead shall hear 
the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live" 
(John V, 25). At the general resurrection all shall rise from 
their graves and be transfigured. "It is sown in corruption, it 
shall rise in incorruption," says the Apostle; "it is sown in dis- 
honour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness, it shall 
rise in power. It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiri- 
tual body" (1. Cor. XV, 42, 44). "Our Lord Jesus Christ 
will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body 
of his glory according to the operation whereby also he is 
able to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. Ill, 21). Then 
"joy everlasting shall be upon their heads [of the resur- 
rected]; they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and 
mourning shall flee away" (Isa. LI, 11). 

And when shall be fulfilled this hope for a glorious resurrec- 
tion, for a magnificent transfiguration? Will it be fulfilled even 
if we pass our life on earth in the pursuit of temporal goods 
only, if we pass it in pride and vanity, in frivolous pleasures, in 
vices and sins? In this case we shall rise indeed, but not to 
glory and beatitude, but to disgrace and punishment. "And 
many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," 
says the prophet, "some unto life everlasting, and others 
unto reproach, to see it always" (Dan. XII, 2). Hence let us 
remember and daily consider the words of the Saviour: "He 
who wants to enter the kingdom of God must keep the com- 
mandments." If in our life we live according to the holy Will 
of God, bearing our cross with patience, then, and only then, we 
may hope for a blessed death and for a glorious resurrection. 

In regard to our departed brother we may hope that God 
has been merciful to him in view of his penance and of his 
patience in enduring the pains of his sickness. Let us pray 
for him in the spirit of charity. 



XXXVI 

THE GRAVE OF THE JUST 

How terrible is this place: this is no other but the house of God and 
the gate of heaven (1. Gen. XXVIII, 17). 

There is hardly another place to impress so forcibly the 
human mind and heart, to give occasion to such manifold 
sentiments and thoughts, as the place we are standing at now, 
where the bodies of departed Christians are sown in rows, a 
holy seed. The field of death is a holy ground, where our heart 
realizes with trembling, how perishable everything on earth is, 
and how solemn is eternity. The graveyard is the place of 
seriousness and silence, of sorrow and tears; it is a sacred place, 
devoted to loving memories and mourning, to pious remem- 
brance, to solemn meditation, to quiet preparation for death; 
its soil is moistened with tears, and for the sowing of tears is 
promised the harvest of gladness. It is an assembly of tired 
pilgrims, who are peacefully resting from the sorrows of life, 
till the day dawns of resurrection. Past generations are 
resting here, present and coming generations will rest here. 
At this moment the soil has opened to receive in its furrow an- 
other seed. A resting place has been prepared for another 
pilgrim, who has come hither to rest after having served the 
Lord faithfully in the simplicity of his heart, and who closed 
his eyes in the love of God. At the grave of a just man of 
this kind we must speak as Jacob did: "How holy is this place, 
this is no other but the house of God and the gate of heaven." 

1. The grave of the just is a holy place. His earthly re- 

115 



116 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

mains rest here, and, though they return unto dust, we must 
respect them because they were the habitation of an immortal 
soul, a temple of the Holy Ghost, and it shall rise one day in 
glory, to be transfigured, and to participate in the kingdom 
of God. For this reason this place receives the blessing of 
our holy religion; for this reason we adorn the graves of our 
beloved ones, and this is why we return here so often, though 
it makes us sad and moves us to tears. The grave of the just 
is not only a sacred place, it is — 

%. A house of God. Our heart tells us here that God is 
nigh : we are refreshed by His comfort, we believe in the truth 
of His word. His Spirit testifies unto our spirit that we are 
immortal, that we shall meet again above. We feel aroused 
to holy resolutions, to pious contemplations, to devout 
prayer, for ourselves and for those we love, and for the peace 
of the deceased. Raised high above the pettiness and vanity 
of the world, high above earthly worries and cares, our soul 
anticipates the blessedness of a higher and better world. 
And, behold, the grave of the just is also — 

3. A gate of heaven. "Unless the grain of wheat falling 
into the ground die, it bringeth forth no fruit" (John XII, 24). 
We must die to bring forth fruit. In order to enter the king- 
dom of glory we must first pass through the dark valley of 
death, through the narrow gate of the grave. The just man 
sees in the grave the gate of heaven, the entrance into peace, 
the transition to eternity. As Jacob while lying asleep had a 
vision of angels ascending and descending, so does the spirit 
of the just dwell in the vision of the angels and of the Lord, 
while the body sleeps in the grave. "For the precious gift 
of faith shall be given him and a most acceptable lot in the 
temple of God, for the fruit of good labours is glorious" 
(Wisd. Ill, 14, 15). 

Contemplate the grave in this light, my friends, and you 



THE GRAVE OF THE JUST 117 

will be comforted and encouraged. Let us take care that we 
keep on the path of justice and virtue, and to lay up treasures 
for heaven by doing good works, so that it may be said also 
of our graves: "How holy is this place! This is no other but 
a house of God and the gate of heaven." Let us pray. 



XXXVII 
THE REST IN THE WORLD BEYOND 

Let him rest in his bed that hath walked in his uprightness (Isa. 
LVH, 2). 

Many men on earth are longing for rest, without ever 
finding it. They pass their days of life in hardships that 
only cease with death; they have to bear the toil and heat of 
the day, become worn out in their business, are oppressed by 
one adversity or another, and are worrying for ever, now be- 
cause of disease and pain, then because of undeserved accusa- 
tion, and often on account of injury and loss in their material 
possessions, and for various other reasons. True, man always 
hopes for better things; he may see one trouble after another 
overcome, but new troubles arise, robbing him again of the 
expected rest. A sad life, indeed! Shall this condition con- 
tinue for ever? Is the large majority of men to have nothing 
for ever but unrest? This cannot be, the kind Father in 
heaven cannot have this ordained. He has appointed a time 
and place for those who labour and are burdened, where 
they may blissfully rest from their toil. 

"There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of 
God," says St. Paul (Heb. IV, 9) ; but that day is not in this 
life, it comes only after death. "Blessed are the dead, who 
die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that 
they may rest from their labours; for their works follow 
them" (Apoc. XIV, 13). Our departed sister, too, longed for 
rest all her life, in her many cares, afflictions, and sorrows. 
Now her wish is fulfilled, a blessed death has conducted her 

118 



THE REST IN THE WORLD BEYOND 119 

to the place where rest and peace are dwelling. How may 
this rest be attained by all of us? What is this rest? 

1. There cannot be the least doubt that God has intended 
this rest and peace for all men, and it is His wish that all 
should attain it. "For God so loved the world," said the 
Saviour, "as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlast- 
ing " (John III, 16). "Christ has prepared a place for all 
in his Father's house" (John XIV), and He invites all: 
"Come to me, all you that labour and are burdened, and I 
will refresh you . . . and you shall find rest to your souls" 
(Matt. XI, 28, 29). If we do not attain this promised rest 
and blessedness, the fault lies with us, and not with God. 
There are two conditions we must fulfil: we must believe in 
God, and in everything He has revealed and bids us to believe 
through His holy Church, and we must be obedient to His 
law. It is written: "He shall rest in his bed, that hath walked 
in his uprightness"; meaning, he who walks the straight path, 
diverging neither to the right nor left, who loyally obeys the 
divine precepts and commandments — he shall enter the 
eternal dwelling, finding there rest and blessedness. That his 
hope for rest and blessedness might not be blasted, " St. Paul 
served the Father and his God, believing all things which are 
written in the law and the prophets, and endeavouring to have 
always a conscience without offence towards God and towards 
men" (Acts XXIV, 14, 16). If the Lord's word is "a lamp 
to our feet and a light to our paths" (Ps. CXVII, 105), and 
if we adhere to it in belief and obedience, then we are faithful 
servants of the Lord, then He is well pleased in us, and our 
reward, according to His promise, will be eternal rest and ever- 
lasting blessedness. "He that walketh in his uprightness 
shall rest." 

2. But what kind of rest is this that we may hope for? A 



120 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

rest from the labour and toil of the earth, rest from all the 
sufferings and hardships of life, rest from all worries of the 
soul, in brief, perfect blessedness. In our earthly life earthly 
things are indispensable, and they entail industry and hard 
toil. There can be no true rest in this life. In death, however, 
we cast off everything earthly; the future body shall be a 
spiritual one (1. Cor. XV, 44). Consequently, if everything 
earthly ceases with death, there will cease also all cares about 
the earthly. We shall rest, since the work has been done. 

In addition to toil and labour there are many other hard- 
ships our body is subject to, because it is an earthly body, a 
frail frame, and perishable. Hence, there are bodily ills and 
sickness, that make life harder still, and more burdensome 
even than labour and toil. From labour you would rest at 
evening, but that rest is often denied on account oi other 
cares. Perfect rest comes only in the hereafter. In death 
we discard all that has been earthly, all earthly affliction is 
at an end. That which has caused pain is buried with the 
body, "the souls of the just are in the hand of God and the 
torment of death shall not touch them" (Wis. Ill, 1). The 
righteous may say, with St. Paul: "The Lord hath delivered 
me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly 
kingdom" (2. Tim. IV, 18). 

There is still another great misery on earth to disturb our 
rest, and that is the worry of the soul, caused often by condi- 
tions, and often, also, by sin. Everything earthly is unstable. 
We are uncertain of our money and estate, of our health, of 
life itself; we worry about food, clothing, and shelter, hence 
our anxious dread of the future, of the fate and success of 
our endeavour. We are in fear and worry because of our 
faults, shortcomings, and sins, that burden our conscience 
and give us unrest. Our soul is sighing to the Lord: "Enter 
not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight no man 



THE REST IN THE WORLD BEYOND 121 

living shall be justified" (Ps. CXLII, 2). All this worry will 
cease when we attain eternal rest. Yonder, our possessions 
will not perish, they are eternal and without end; sin shall 
no longer have dominion over us (Rom. VI, 14), we shall 
be holy and guiltless in the sight of God. There we need no 
longer pray: Lord, have mercy on us! No, we shall praise 
the Lord incessantly, and rejoice that He has granted us His 
peace and rest. 

Our departed sister has gone to this rest. In life she has 
borne the burden and heat of the day, but her conduct and 
Christian life was such that we may hope that she has entered 
the longed-for rest. 

That we also may enter this blissful rest, let us keep in 
mind that only those who have walked in uprightness shall 
find it. Let us, therefore, walk the straight path of the Lord's 
commandments, let us patiently bear the hardships of this 
life, and never forget that there will be in store for us eternal 
rest and blessedness if we persevere in righteousness up to 
the last. Let us now pray for our sister in the spirit of charity, 
that the Lord in His mercy may grant her everlasting rest. 



XXXVIII 
THE THREE DWELLINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN 

For we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come 
(Heb. XHI, 14). 

My dear brethren, when upon his father's death Abraham 
was about to enter his rich inheritance, the Lord com- 
manded him: "Go forth out of thy country, and from thy 
kindred, and out of thy father's house, and come into the 
land which I shall shew thee" (1. Gen. XII, 1). Abraham 
obediently set out as the Lord commanded, and proceeded 
to a land which he had never seen, giving up a certain posses- 
sion for an uncertain one, because God willed it so. Since God 
was his guide, Abraham reached the promised land, and be- 
came there blessed with more possessions than he could have 
hoped for in his former land, and was further rewarded for 
his faith and obedience by the glorious promise that in his 
progeny all nations of the earth would be blessed. 

Truly a beautiful model for all faithful. "We have not here 
a lasting city," says the Apostle, "but we seek one that is 
to come. " All the faithful are on their pilgrimage to the prom- 
ised land, relying on God's word, not looking to the visible, 
but to the invisible; they are brought by God to the destina- 
tion of their pilgrimage, guided in the right course, protected 
against all danger, and are finally rewarded for their faith by 
entering into the joy of the Lord. The road to eternal joy, 
however, leads through the grave. The grain of wheat 
must die ere it can bring fruit, and thus must we first occupy 

122 



THE THREE DWELLINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN 123 

the dwelling of death ere we can proceed from our earthly 
habitation to our home in heaven. 

This quiet dwelling of death we see here prepared for a 
pilgrim who has just left this life, and, standing at this grave, 
let us give thought to the dwellings of man — the dwelling 
of our life on earth, the dwelling of the body in death, and, 
finally, the dwelling in the eternal city of God, our final goal. 

1. The dwelling of our life in the body is the earth. 

"We are sojourners before thee and strangers, as were all 
our fathers. Our days upon earth are as a shadow and 
there is no stay," said King David (1. Paral. XXIX, 15). 
This truth, my dear brethren, is obvious every day. We come 
into the world, stay in it a little while and depart again. Our 
life is nothing but a journey, a pilgrimage; every hour means 
a step towards the grave; we draw nearer and nearer until 
one day it opens to receive us. 

But while the body dies, the soul survives, because it is 
immortal and destined for eternal life and bliss. You know 
by experience that there is no true and lasting bliss found in 
this world. We long for it; we scheme and plan, strive and 
work for happiness on earth, because the desire for it is born 
into us: yet we fail to find happiness here. The Lord, who 
planted this desire for happiness in our heart, will also gratify 
it; not here on earth, where we have no permanent place, 
but in the hereafter. He has given us this life that we may 
use it to earn eternal happiness. Thus the dwelling of our 
pilgrimage on earth is a workshop, where we are to work and 
toil for heaven and for eternal blessedness. In this life we 
must attain the knowledge of God and of the truths revealed 
by Him, we must make use of the means which God has de- 
posited in His Holy Church, for the Saviour says: "Now this 
is eternal life: that they may know thee, the only true God 
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John XXII, 3). 



124 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Here we are to love God and to serve Him, which means, to do 
His holy Will; for the Saviour teaches: "Not everyone who saith 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he 
that doeth the will of my father, who is in heaven: he shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. VII, 21). While 
in this life, we must aim at becoming rich in virtue and in 
good deeds, because we shall be judged according to them. 
While here in the house of our pilgrimage on earth, we must 
prepare for heaven and complete this preparation ere death 
comes to lead us into — 

2. The dwelling of death, the grave. Whether our pil- 
grimage is of long or short duration, the grave is the ultimate 
place for the body. Whether endowed in our life with all 
that may bring earthly happiness, that may gratify the heart's 
desire, or whether we are made to drain the cup of bitterness 
as Job did, — all these things will come to an end in the grave. 
There the workingman will rest from his toil, the ambitious 
man from his endeavours, the covetous from his greed, the 
frivolous from his excesses, but there also will the good and 
pious Christian rest from his struggles, from suffering and 
labouring for the sake of the Lord. There they all rest "until 
the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall rise" (1. Cor. XV, 
52). Then the soul will again assume its body and man will 
go into the last dwelling. 

3. "The house of his eternity" (Eccl. XII, 5). This will 
be either the house of a blessed eternity, prepared by the Sa- 
viour for those that love Him, or the house of a wretched 
eternity, destined for those that refuse to believe, for those 
that die in sin. God has left it to us which house to choose. 
"Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of 
life, and the way of death" (Jer. XXI, 8). Which one do we 
choose? No doubt we all wish to choose a blessed eternity. 
Let us then strive to become worthy of being received into 



THE THREE DWELLINGS OF THE CHRISTIAN 125 

this house, by avoiding sin, by constant prayer, by frequently 
receiving the Holy Sacraments, by bearing our afflictions in 
patience, by good works and by preparing for a holy death. 
Our departed brother was duly prepared for a good death; 
hence we may hope that he has been received into the house 
of a blessed eternity: but let us pray for him. 



XXXIX 

THE FAITH IN CHRIST OUR CONSOLATION 

In my Father's house there are many mansions (John XIV, 2). 

When death has bereaved a family, the survivors are 
seeking consolation; they look in many places for it, but 
often not in the right one. You, too, my friends, are in need 
of consolation in the sorrow which this death has brought 
upon you. Where do you find it? Where else than in Him who 
says: "In my Father's house there are many mansions. If 
not, I would have told you: because I go to prepare a place 
for you. And if I shall go and prepare a place for you, I will 
come again, and will take you to myself; that where I am, 
you also may be. And whither I go you know, and the way 
you know. Thomas said to Him: Lord, we know not whither 
thou goest; and how can we know the way? Whereupon 
Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life. 
No man cometh to the Father, but by me" (John XIV, 2-6). 
These are the words of consolation which the Lord spoke to 
His disciples, when He did not want their hearts to be troubled 
because of His departure. " I am the way, the truth, and the 
life," said He to Thomas. Indeed, where He abides, there is 
life but not death; where He abides, there is not destruction, 
but resurrection. It is deeply to be regretted that so few are 
seeking in the Saviour a refuge in their affliction, since only 
the Saviour can give comfort and peace, life and beatitude. 
The sweetest consolation is offered by the faith in Jesus 

126 



THE FAITH IN CHRIST OUR CONSOLATION 127 

Christ, the Son of God. He who believes in Him will expe- 
rience this comfort. 

1. Faith in his revelation: "In my Father's house are 
many mansions." This gives us the assurance that those 
who die in the love of God are not lost. Man's last hour is 
veiled in mystery; hence the parting is all the harder for the 
survivors. Are the departed lost to us? Whither has his 
soul gone? What is the state of our departed ones? These 
questions are foremost in the mind when someone we love 
has died, and then we look up to heaven praying for consola- 
tion and reassurance, and we find it there, too, if we only be- 
lieve. "In my Father's house," Christ says, "there are many 
mansions. If not, I would have told you: because I go to 
prepare a place for you." Truly, a sublime consolation! 
Our departed beloved are not lost to us: what we here return 
to the earth is but the frame, not the spirit. 

2. Faith in His promise: "I will take you to myself: that 
where I am you also may be." Death is not bitter for him 
who dies the death of the just, nor for his kin and friends, for 
the "just hath hope in his death " (Prov. XIV, 32). The sorrow 
of parting from our dying beloved is a great trial for the 
human heart. True, we know, the spirit endureth, and de- 
struction shall not be its lot; but are we to meet again? The 
bond of blissful love that joined us on earth, will it be renewed 
in the hereafter? And the Lord makes answer, and faith 
affirms it: "I will take you to myself; that where I am, 
you also may be." Death does not sever the bonds of true 
love; what God has joined together in this world is not for 
ever put asunder by the grave. The reunion with the dear 
departed is part of the bliss in store for us in heaven. This 
thought should soothe the sorrow of parting, as it should 
comfort the dying. 

3. Faith in His person. The thought that "He is the way, 



128 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

the truth, and the life" should fill us with confidence. Yet 
the hour of death is solemn, also, because we know it will take 
us to judgment, we are conscious also that we are sinners. 
How shall we prevail before the just Judge? How can we 
hope to be among the blessed? We shall five and meet again, 
this is certain, but how shall we meet? This solemn question 
grievously oppresses our heart, and again the Lord relieves 
us, for by the faith in His person, in His meritorious 
death, we may hope for the remission of our sins, for His 
grace, for eternal life. Since He, God's only begotten Son, has 
atoned for our sins by His Incarnation, by His sufferings and 
Crucifixion, He has assured us of life and immortality. If we 
make good use of the Sacraments, instituted in His holy 
Church for the remission of sins, for attaining the grace and 
mercy of God, then we cannot doubt, and must not doubt, 
of obtaining pardon for the sake of Jesus Christ. If, with His 
assistance, we walk the path of God's commandments, we 
may hope for the eternal life: for "the just shall live for 
evermore: and their reward is with the Lord, and the care 
of them is with the Most High, therefore you shall receive a 
kingdom of glory and a crown of beauty at the hand of the 
Lord" (Wisd. V, 16, 17): "I am the way." Indeed, He is, 
for by Him we come to the Father, and where the Father is, 
there is blessedness. "I am the truth." Indeed, He has the 
infallible truth of God. "I am the Life." Indeed, He gives 
life to those who are His. Where He abides, there is heavenly 
bliss, and His faithful are to be where He is. 

Oh, what consolation, to become reunited finally in undis- 
turbed bliss with those we love, to share with them eternal 
beatitude! This, indeed, enhances the rapture of eternal 
glory. Our weeping and mourning are therefore not without 
consolation, for we believe in Jesus Christ, and our faith is 
the greatest comfort in any affliction. Hence, let us live con- 



THE FAITH IN CHRIST OUR CONSOLATION 129 

forming to the precepts of this faith, lest we forfeit the heavenly 
inheritance: for "not everyone who saith to me, Lord, Lord, 
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven," so says the Saviour, 
"but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven, 
he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. VII, 21). 
Now let us pray. 



XL 

HOW CHRISTIANS CONFESS THEIR SAVIOUR 
IN DEATH 

For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in 
thy heart that God has raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 
For with the heart we believe unto justice: but with the mouth, confession 
is made unto salvation (Rom. X, 9, 10). 

Everything we know of our Saviour, everything we have 
received from Him, everything we hope from Him, urges us 
to praise His holy Name in word and deed, even in our suffer- 
ings and in our death. Hence, our life should be a continuous 
testimony to Christ's honour. He who ignores this duty, or 
forgets it, has ceased to be a Christian, and is in peril to 
see fulfilled in him the Lord's threat: "But he that shall 
deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father 
who is in heaven " (Matt. X, 33). Hence, we must regard 
as blessed those who love Christ beyond everything and who 
honour in Him their Redeemer; blessed those, who through- 
out life make the confession of Christ their most important 
vocation, their highest honour, their greatest joy: for, as 
the Apostle says: "If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised Him up 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart we 
believe unto justice, but with the mouth, confession is made 
unto salvation." Such a faithful confessor of Christ has been 
our departed brother, at whose grave we are now standing, 
and I wish you to join me in contemplating the proper way in 
which the true Christian should confess his Saviour in death. 

1. In the first place, he shows that he puts all his hope in 
Jesus. It is truly a pity to see many Christians so careless 

130 



HOW CHRISTIANS CONFESS THEIR SAVIOUR 131 

about their salvation. It is sad to observe how they live for 
this world only, how they are satisfied in the flesh without 
ever giving a thought to eternity, though death may call 
them at any moment. They dread nothing more than the 
thought of death. Having ignored Christ, refusing to heed 
His call for penance, they are barred from joining in the most 
precious hope of the Christian. How different with the 
faithful! Throughout their life they have confessed their 
Saviour by word and deed. Feeling their last hour coming, 
they know of nothing more urgent to do than to repent once 
more all sins committed in life, and to receive the holy 
Sacraments of the Church, that they may be forgiven and 
fortified and comforted in the last struggle. They are re- 
signed to God's will, even in great suffering of the body: 
they depart in good cheer and hope from this life, and, falling 
asleep in the Lord, they see the heaven opened for them. 

2. The true Christian confesses his Saviour in death, also, 
by thanking God for all graces and benefactions received. 
This, of course, is unknown at the death-bed of those who 
refuse to make their peace with God. These open their 
mouth only in complaint, and not a word is heard of the 
grace and mercy of God. Quite different with the faithful. 
Whilst they, too, are sighing under their cross, they remem- 
ber the benefits received from the Lord, and they confess: 
"I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of thy 
truth which thou hast fulfilled to thy servant" (Gen. XXXII, 
10). They endeavour to bear their suffering patiently, 
looking up to the Redeemer, who has said: "If any man will 
come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross 
and follow me" (Matt. XVI, 24) ; and mindful of the promise, 
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he 
has been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which 
God hath promised to them that love him" (James I, 12). 



132 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

3. Finally, the true Christian confesses his Saviour on the 
death-bed by referring his family to the Lord, and exhorting 
them to fear God. What else is more needful, what else should 
a Christian have more at heart? Yet, only rarely is this done, 
nowadays. Worldly parents are anxious for their children 
to get along in this life, to acquire wealth and position. They 
set their house in order in respect to temporal affairs, which 
of itself is necessary and proper, but they fail to care also, as 
they should, for the soul. They do not exhort their children 
to pursue the kingdom of God and His justice. How can 
the departure of such men be comforting and edifying? How 
different with the faithful! Desirous of bequeathing to them 
the highest spiritual goods, they direct their beloved to walk 
the path of God, they exhort them to be virtuous and God- 
fearing, and their own Christian life, their fear of God, their 
prayer, their patient suffering, and good death, serve as a 
most powerful sermon and example. Their last request is: 
"And now, little children, abide in him" (John II, 28), 
and their last exhortation: "Keep on the path of the divine 
Commandments, so that we all may meet above in the glory 
of God." In this way they bequeath to their family the most 
precious treasure. 

Our departed brother has died a good death; hence we may 
hope that he is blessed. Let us say the usual prayers. 



XLI 
THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 

For God created man incorruptible (Wisd. II, 23). 

My dear friends, here we meet again to pay the last tribute 
to one of our brethren. We are surrounded by graves in 
every direction — graves with large monuments and with 
little ones, well-kept graves and neglected ones. Under 
our feet lies the dust of fellow-men: probably everyone of 
you has buried here some kin or friend — someone he loved, 
someone dear to his heart; here they all sleep the sleep of 
death. And in a not distant time people will see here our 
graves, a younger generation will walk over them. Is this 
the end of all human glory? Is this earthly life concluded 
for ever with death and decay? If such were the fact, then, 
indeed, life would be miserable and unbearable with its cares 
and sorrows, its hardships and afflictions, its disappoint- 
ments and blasted hopes. But this is not so: death ends the 
life of the body, but not the life of the soul; for God has 
created man incorruptible, and his goal is life eternal. Hence, 
if cast down by the loss of a dear and beloved one, we ought to 
turn our eyes away from the grave, to the life beyond, where 
their immortal souls live for ever, and where, so we hope, they 
have reached their ultimate goal of everlasting glory. Let 
us, for our comfort and consolation, briefly contemplate the 
truth of the immortality of the soul. 

According to divine revelation, God created man immortal 
both in body and in soul. It remained for sin to subject the 
body to death and to cause "the dust return into its earth, 

133 



134 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

from whence it came." But the spirit returns to God, who 
gave it (Eccl. XII, 7). Holy Writ says of the just: "In the 
sight of the unwise they seemed to die, but they are in peace. 
Their hope is full of immortality" (Wisd. Ill, 2-4). And 
the God of Abraham and of Isaac is, as the Saviour declared, 
"not the God of the dead but of the living" (Matt. XXII, 
32). This He said to refute the assertion of the Sadducees, 
who denied the future life. On another occasion He declared, 
leaving no room for doubt: "These [the evil doers] shall go 
into everlasting punishment; but the just into life ever- 
lasting" (Matt. XXV, 46). 

Indeed, my brethren, if our soul were not immortal, then the 
Revelation of God would be to no purpose; for undeniably 
the main object of Christianity is to make the human soul 
virtuous, to enhance its love and fear of God, to encourage 
it to prize duty and virtue above everything, to shirk no 
sacrifice in this endeavour; but ail this necessarily presup- 
poses the belief in a future life of the soul. St. Paul based 
upon this belief his hope "that there shall be a resurrection 
of the just and unjust," and herein he endeavoured, "to have 
always a conscience without offence towards God and towards 
men" (Acts XXIV, 15, 16). He testified to this conviction 
by devoting the entire fifteenth chapter of his first Epistle 
to the Corinthians to the resurrection of the dead, saying, 
among other things: "The corruptible [the body] must put 
on incorruption; and this mortal must put on immortality." 
And St. John the evangelist expresses the same conviction in 
the words: "And the world passes away and the lust thereof, 
but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever" (1. John 
II, 17). 

Every man's own reason must tell him that his soul is 
immortal, that he need not fear that God will destroy it. 
We know that there abides in every human heart an over- 



THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL 135 

whelming desire for happiness, a desire which no earthly pos- 
session, no temporal joy can gratify. Can we assume that 
God, so wise and kind and holy, put in our hearts this desire 
for blessedness to no other purpose than to fill us with false 
hopes, to keep us in an unsatisfied condition, while the animal 
in its world of senses finds everything it desires? Indeed, this 
we can never assume; hence, our reason tells us that there 
must be a life hereafter, a condition of everlasting and undis- 
turbed bliss. We are told by our own reason, furthermore, 
that God must reward virtue and punish vice. In this fife, 
we often see that virtue must toil for its daily bread, while 
vice is living on the fat of the land; virtue is often despised, 
and vice esteemed, virtue often oppressed, while vice holds 
forth in pride. This observation might disconcert our belief in 
God's justice, if our reason did not tell us that there must 
be a hereafter, where the Lord will judge everyone according 
to his deeds, where virtue will be rewarded and vice pun- 
ished, where God's justice will be made apparent beyond all 
doubt. Hence, death cannot mean the end of everything: 
the soul must be immortal; for "the hour cometh," says the 
Lord, "wherein all that are in the graves shall hear the voice 
of the Son of God and shall come forth; they that have done 
good things unto the resurrection of life; but they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" (John V, 28). 

My friends, we are given the choice between everlasting 
bliss and everlasting wretchedness, between the resurrection 
of fife and the resurrection of ruin. Which shall we 
choose? No doubt we shall all choose the best. Very well, 
then, let us follow St. Paul in endeavouring to have at all 
times a conscience without offence towards God and towards 
men; let us walk every day of our life in the fear of the Lord, 
and should sin tempt us, let us be mindful of the advice of 
Holy Writ, to think in all our actions of the last things; then 



136 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

we shall never sin. We may hope, then, that the words of 
Holy Writ will be fulfilled in us: "With him that feareth the 
Lord it shall go well in the latter end and in the day of his 
death he shall be blessed" (Ecclus. I, 13). Our departed 
brother was prepared for a good death; hence, we hope 
that this promise has been fulfilled in him, but let us pray. 



XLII 
MEETING IN THE LIFE BEYOND 

And we will have you not ignorant, Brethren, concerning them that 
are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope 
(Thess. IV, 12). 

My dear friends, no tears are more proper than those we 
shed at the graves of those we have loved in life with a tender 
and affectionate love, whose company has given us joy and 
comfort. What, indeed, could dry those tears but the hope 
to meet our beloved ones again? When inexorable death cuts 
the bonds which seemed tied so fast, so indissoluble; when 
death parts parents and children, brothers and sisters, hus- 
band and wife, the dearest friends, and with a sudden blow 
strikes down their happiness, what is it that upholds the be- 
reaved and keeps them from despairing? Only the hope of 
meeting again, of becoming reunited with those whose death 
we mourn. This is the reason why the Apostle wrote the con- 
soling words: "We will not have you ignorant, brethren, con- 
cerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even 
as others who have no hope. ,, May this hope prove a soothing 
balm also for you, my friends. The desire to meet again those 
we love, those dear to us, is innate in the human heart. And 
will not the Lord gratify this desire which He Himself has 
planted in the heart? He can do it, for He is Almighty; He 
will do it, because He is love. One of the joys in eternity 
will be the happy meeting with our kin and friends, with those 
who were our joy and comfort in the life on earth. Our be- 
loved are not lost to us for ever, not parted from us for ever. 
St. Cyprian warns us: "Curb your grief, lest infidels may think 

137 



138 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

you, too, are not believing in a resurrection and a hereafter, 
and in a meeting in the future life." 

The gospel warrants this hope of a meeting in heaven. 
The gospel preaches to us a Redeemer, who has overcome 
death and corruption, and vouches for the fact that the body 
shall rise from the grave to a new and glorious life. Our bodies 
will meet transfigured in the glory of God, recognize one an- 
other, and love one another even more tenderly than before. 
There " God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes," and death 
shall be no longer feared, "for the former things are passed 
away" (Apoc. XXI, 4). St. Cyprian gives expression to this 
hope in the beautiful words: "Why not speed to see our native 
country, to greet our parents? Our beloved ones, who are 
sure of their salvation but concerned about ours, are waiting 
for us over there in great number — our parents, brothers, 
sons. What a joy for them and for us, to meet again and to 
again embrace one another!" 

Let this hope, my friends, be our consolation at this grave, 
and in the bitter sorrow that may be caused us by the pres- 
ent, past, or future loss of a beloved member of the family 
or of a dear friend. The nearer the departed have been to 
our heart, the more we desire to see them again. This long- 
ing, planted in our heart by the God of Love Himself, will 
not remain ungratified. Beyond, in the mansions of the 
Father, are the just whose loss we mourn. Christ has pre- 
pared a place for them. There you will meet your dear par- 
ents, whose names you speak with reverence, gratitude, and 
love. There you will meet your beloved husband, to whom 
you were lovingly joined in this world. "And your heart 
shall rejoice, and your joy no man shall take from you" 
(John XVI, 22). 

In order, however, not to be disappointed in our hope, we 
must become united in Christ the Lord, for all that I 



MEETING IN THE LIFE BEYOND 139 

have said can apply only to those who are one in Christ. 
For those who live, without Christ, in the world of the flesh and 
of sin, for those who die without faith and without repentance, 
the gospel has no comfort. There are living together here on 
earth faithful and scoffers, righteous and sinners, but there is 
no true union between them, they are separated from one 
another by a wide gulf, and where there is such a separation 
already in this life, there cannot be any union in the hereafter. 
The Lord will rally around Him only those who are His. In 
the kingdom of His glory there is no place for the unclean, 
the unholy, and the sinful. "The works of the flesh are mani- 
fest," says the Apostle, "which are uncleanness, adultery, 
immodesty, luxury, idolatry, enmities, contentions, emula- 
tions, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, 
drunkenness, revellings, and such like, of the which I foretell 
you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the king- 
dom of God" (Gal. V, 19, 21). 

If we desire, my brethren, to meet again with our beloved 
who departed in the love of God, let us seek sanctification, 
let us lay in store treasures of virtues and good deeds, so 
that, whether the hour of parting come late or early, we may 
console one another with the hope that "We shall meet again 
in the kingdom of everlasting love." Let us pray for the 
departed. 



XLIII 
WORK GOOD WHILE THERE IS TIME 

And in doing good, let us not fail, for in due time we shall reap, not 
failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good (Gal. VI, 9, 
10). 

My brethren, while considering what I might say for your 
consolation and edification at the grave of this young man, 
who after a brief illness died in the prime of life, I happened 
to think of an event of which I read recently in the life of a 
saintly bishop. One morning he rose early, to write a sermon 
on the text: "In doing good let us not fail." While at this 
task, he had a vision. He saw another bishop brought before 
a court, to give an account of his stewardship. The account 
was evidently not satisfactory, for the bishop was stripped of 
his vestments and handed over to the jailers. Then the judges 
arose, saying: "Whilst we have time, let us work good." 
The bishop who had the vision was saddened, especially when 
a messenger came that very day with the news that a friend 
of his, a bishop, had suddenly died. This bishop remembered 
for the rest of his life the words of the judges: "Whilst we 
have time, let us work good." 

It behoves us also, dear brethren, to bear these words in 
mind and to act upon them — 

1. Because the hour of our death is uncertain. May not 
the next striking of the clock mark our death? Are we not 
subject to death any moment? "Man knoweth not his own 
end," says Holy Writ (Eccl. IX, 12). In the council of the 
Almighty the year, the month, the day and hour, is fixed, 
when each of us must depart, but we do not know this time. 

140 



WORK GOOD WHILE THERE IS TIME 141 

"At what hour you know not, the Son of Man will come," 
said the Saviour (Matt. XXIV, 44). Why does God keep 
secret the hour of our death? St. Gregory answers: "God 
keeps us ignorant of the hour of death for our own salvation, 
that we may be ever ready," that we may work good whilst 
we have the time. This we must resolve to do — 

2. Without delay, because time is fleeting and once passed 
is gone for ever. Like a ship ploughing the sea and making 
port, time is speeding on, carrying man nearer and nearer to 
the end of his pilgrimage, death. Days go by and years, and 
he may reach the port of eternity without suspecting it to 
be near. Indeed, time is short and fleet, and few are mindful 
of it; time is precious, and few appreciate its value. "Time 
has infinite value," says St. Bernard; "in a certain sense time 
may be said to be of equal value with God, inasmuch as time 
well used is the price for the possession of God." In this 
fleeting time we can, and ought to, earn by good deeds heaven, 
and the sight and possession of God; failing this, we can never 
make up for it in the hereafter; for then "the night has come 
when no man can work" (John IX, 4). For this reason Holy 
Writ enjoins us: "Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it 
earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor 
knowledge shall be in the grave, whither thou art hastening" 
(Eccl. IX, 10). 

Hence, if desirous of doing good, we must do it in this life 
and take advantage of time and opportunity — 

3. Because death is immediately followed by the judgment, 
when "God will render to every man according to his works" 
(Rom. II, 6). At the gate of eternity we must leave behind 
money and possessions, positions and titles, joys and pleas- 
ures, kin and friends, everything we have loved and treas- 
ured on earth, and nothing but our deeds will accompany us 
into eternity — our good deeds to merit us everlasting re- 



142 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ward, our evil deeds to deliver us to the everlasting torments 
of hell. 

My dear brethren, if death were to take us unawares this 
moment, or to-day or to-morrow, would we appear before the 
judgment of God well fortified with good works and meri- 
torious deeds, or would we go there empty-handed, perhaps 
burdened with fault? Ask yourselves this question not only 
to-day, but often, and remember the warning of the Apostle: 
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" 
(Heb. X, 31). If your conscience tells you that you have 
done sinful works rather than good deeds, oh, turn to the Lord 
without delay, and practise works of penance! Uncertain is 
the hour of death, time is fleeting, and the judgment of the 
Lord is nigh. I conclude with the words of St. Paul: "And in 
doing good, let us not fail; for in due time we shall reap, not 
failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good." 
Let us now pray for the deceased. 



XLIV 
THE WARNING VOICE OF THE GRAVE 

And the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doth the 
will of God, abidethfor ever (John II, 17). 

We are assembled here to bury the earthly remains of a 
brother called away by death after he had by the grace of 
God devoutly prepared for his death. The life of the world is 
for most men a busy and restless struggle for wealth and pleas- 
ure. The struggle never ceases until death puts a stop to all 
this agitation, after that reigns the silence of the grave. What 
is the result of all this exertion? What has been saved out of 
it, what is really of avail? The grave calls to us the solemn 
warning expressed by St. John in the words: "The world 
passeth away and the lust thereof; but he that doth the will 
of God, abideth for ever." 

1. "The world passeth away and the lust thereof." What- 
ever is visible is perishable, says one of the Apostles, and our 
experience testifies to the truth of his words. All that is of 
the earth lasts only a while, it can satisfy the human heart 
only for a little while. The possessions of this earth are beset 
with cares, they jeopardize the soul, and they are so unstable 
that we hardly know from one hour to the next whether we 
may enjoy them. Even if we keep them to the end, we shall 
have to leave them to someone else, and often the heir will 
quickly dissipate the wealth gathered by years of hardships, 
maybe of sins; the inheritance indeed often proves a curse 
rather than a blessing. The joys of this earth are for a time 
only, they are often paid for with remorse, often they produce 

143 



144 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

disgust rather than satisfaction. The lust of the world leaves 
the heart empty, it kills all higher impulses in man. Physi- 
cally exhausted, incapable of higher ideals, enslaved by sen- 
suality, life at last becomes an unbearable burden. Alas! the 
poorest of the poor is he who seeks his joy in the world and in 
sin; he may find questionable pleasure for a short while, but 
never rest; poorer than the poorest he, who, having been 
cheated by the world, is finally told by it, as Judas was told 
by the high priests: "What is that to us? look thou to it." 

The grave loudly calls out to you: "The world passeth away 
and the lust thereof." Hence, do not seek your happiness in 
what is perishable, do not set your heart upon earthly things, 
seek the higher joys of heaven, that you may not perish with 
the world, that the day of your physical death may not also 
be the day of your everlasting death. A second warning of 
the grave is, that only — 

2. "He that doth the will of God, abideth for ever." The 
Apostle tells us also that the invisible is everlasting, and this 
message should fill us with joy. This earth may take from 
us what belongs to it, everything temporal may come to an 
end; it matters not as long as we are the children of the Spirit, 
of divine origin, and the heirs of immortality. Though walk- 
ing on the earth, entrusted by God with the goods of the earth, 
there are higher ideals, to aim at which is the one thing needful, 
and the temporal should serve us only as a means thereto. 
There are higher joys than the gratification of the senses — 
joys not based upon created things, but upon God; joys that 
cannot be dampened or disturbed by accident or adversity; 
joys the world knows not, which give us the foretaste of heav- 
enly bliss. To these joys belong the living communion with 
God, the consciousness of His grace, the possession of His 
peace obtained by following His commandments, obtained 
by a heart humbly devoted to Him in joy and sorrow, by the 



THE WARNING VOICE OF THE GRAVE 145 

feeling that He is nigh, by working for His kingdom and for 
the welfare of the neighbour, by the consciousness of having 
faithfully done one's duty, of having been forgiven one's 
faults, and by the blissful hope of finally joining the Lord in 
His kingdom of glory. If we have attained these goods — 
and God is sure to grant them to those who earnestly seek and 
desire them — if we have tasted these joys in God, then we 
may imagine how rich and blessed we shall be in heaven. 
How can death, how can the grave, deprive us of these pos- 
sessions? These are joys and possessions we may take along 
to the other world, where they will be increased to us a 
thousandfold. 

Oh, let us all strive for these goods, the only ones worth 
striving for! "My meat," says the Saviour, "is to do the will 
of Him that sent me, that I may perfect his work" (John IV, 
34) . Hence, let us do God's holy Will, that we may perfect 
the needful work of sanctifying our soul. "The world passeth 
away and the lust thereof; but he that doth the will of God, 
abideth for ever." 

Our dear departed brother endeavoured to do the Will of 
God. If he has not been successful in doing it perfectly — 
and who of us is able to do it perfectly? — and should on that 
account be detained in purgatory, let us pray for him that he 
may be granted everlasting peace. 



XLV 
SUFFERING LEADS TO GOD 

When tribulation and distress shall come upon you, then they shall 
call upon me (Prov. I, 27, 28). 

In deep sorrow we are standing here at the grave of a man, 
a devoted husband, who according to human reckoning had 
to part all too soon from his beloved wife; at the grave of a 
father whose children are still much in need of a provider and 
protector. In afflictions of this kind we look in vain to this 
world for comfort; it shows us nothing but the grave, and its 
sight can but deepen our anguish. Under such circumstances 
the heart must rise to God, who directs the course of our life. 

Communication with God should be our joy under all cir- 
cumstances : we should deem it our highest bliss, both in good 
fortune and in adversity, to be in fervent communion with 
God, to lay before Him all our requests, to look to Him for 
the needed help. What, indeed, can be more blissful to us 
than the love of God, who is love Himself? Prayer makes 
us wiser in good fortune, more hopeful in misfortune, stronger 
in danger. But no other thought will impart to us greater 
strength for doing good, hold us back from sin with a stronger 
hand, than the thought of the judgment. 

A glance at men, at their aims and doings, shows us that 
in the days of good fortune they only too often forget to pray, 
and that the Prophet spoke true when he said: "When tribu- 
lation and distress shall come upon you, then shall they call 
upon me." It is then only when many realize that Almighty 
God alone can help, that His love alone remains true for ever, 
that the proper means to bring us consolation, peace, and help 

146 



SUFFERING LEADS TO GOD 147 

are known to His wisdom alone. Like the son, who after his 
missteps returns to his father, because experience has taught 
him that nothing in the world can supplant the wisdom and 
love of the father, thus men will turn back from the vanity 
of the world, when experience has taught them that no one will 
love them as truly as God, that no one will, or can, comfort 
and bless them as the Eternal Love does. To win God's 
pleasure, to become worthy of His love, this is thereafter the 
goal they zealously pursue. Verily, tribulations will lead us 
back to our heavenly Father, because they convince us of the 
emptiness of everything earthly. How empty will many 
things then appear that we had thought to be grand and 
glorious ! How we feel ashamed of the low pleasures that de- 
tracted our heart from God ! For now, even though in struggle 
and suffering, we learn to know joys that are infinitely greater, 
joys pure and everlasting, the peace of God, to whom we 
now open our heart in childlike confidence, finding in Him the 
comfort needed in our sufferings. 

Daily experience shows how true this is. Too often is 
prayer forgotten in the days of prosperity; man has then 
other things at heart. Often is prayer said without devotion, 
if at all. But the ways of sorrow teach man to pray; adversity 
will induce men to seek refuge in Him, who alone can help, 
whose grace and comfort are indispensable to us. The con- 
science, too, will raise its voice in the days of affliction, urging 
man to seek grace and mercy, which he can obtain only by 
humble supplication. 

Sorrow and affliction teach us not only to pray, but also to 
pray properly. As long as we are in good health and wanting 
nothing, we do not feel the need of praying so strongly as 
we do in days of sickness, in distress and want; then we raise 
our hearts with fervour to Him from whom all help cometh. 

The more harassed by cares and sorrows, the greater our 



148 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

need of the Lord for our consolation. The more we suffer, 
the more fervently we beseech His fatherly heart. 

Sufferings will teach us, furthermore, to pray in humility. 
As long as we are healthy and prosperous, we rely all too 
much upon ourselves. By distress, however, we are reminded 
of our weakness, in sickness and pain we realize that we are 
frail and mortal. Then our self-love is torn from its perilous 
delusions, our conscience reminds us of our errors and sins, 
reminds us that the judgment of God will render to every 
man according to his works. Then we have the wish to re- 
form and to be pardoned, and we hasten to become reconciled 
with God by an humble confession of our sins. Then we pray 
humbly, with childlike resignation to the Will of God; we leave 
it to Him to give or to withhold according to His wisdom. 

You, my dear friends, who have suffered such great loss 
should also seek refuge in Him, who not only inflicts wounds, 
but also heals them. We understand your grief, but we de- 
sire to offer consolation, and true consolation you can obtain 
only by turning to God, without whose Will this loss could 
not have fallen upon you. Call upon Him for help, and He 
will alleviate your distress so that you may be able to bear 
it. "And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver 
thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Ps. XLIX, 15). 

And since prayer brings us so great a blessing, and so much 
consolation in the days of sorrow, let us not forget God in 
our days of prosperity; indeed, we can never do without His 
grace, help, and blessing, either in prosperity or in adversity. 
Let us not depart from this grave without praying for the 
peace of the soul of the departed. 



XLVI 
COMFORT IN SUFFERING 

For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be 
compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us (Rom. 
VIII, 18). 

" Man born of woman, living for a short time, is filled with 
many miseries,'* says pious Job (XIV, 1). Every day brings 
fresh troubles, and without number are in this life the worries 
and sorrows, afflictions and adversities, from which no one 
is spared. Everybody has his cross, be it small or large. 
And yet everything is sent by God for our spiritual welfare. 

To the God-fearing all things serve for the best. Merciful 
God, in sending us tribulations and distress, does this only 
to test, or to reform us, and to provide an opportunity to prove 
ourselves worthy; He gives us His grace to bear patiently 
all trials, and to lay up treasures for the kingdom of heaven: 
thus, sowing in sorrow, there will be reaped a bountiful har- 
vest of joys; "for I reckon that the sufferings of this time 
are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come, 
that shall be revealed in us," says St. Paul. 

The way of the Cross and of suffering has been com- 
pleted by our friend, who, we hope, has now attained salva- 
tion and eternal life. We are consoling ourselves in our 
grief and bereavement with the truth expressed by the 
Apostle, that all the sufferings and pains that our departed 
brother had to bear in this life, and especially in his sickness, 
are not worthy to be compared with the glory that has been 
revealed in him, who died in the love of God. Let these 
words of the Apostle henceforth and for all days be our 

140 



150 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

comfort in suffering, for these words contain a threefold truth : 
(1) Suffering is the portion of all men; (2) suffering is brief, 
and, (3) sufferings are nothing in comparison with the glory- 
to come. 

1. The same law that made death the punishment for sin 
also brought suffering into the world, as it is but a conse- 
quence of sin. The Lord God said to Eve: "In sorrow thou 
shalt bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy hus- 
band's power, and he shall have dominion over thee." And 
He said to Adam: "Cursed is the earth in thy work, with 
labour and toil thou shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life. 
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; in the sweat 
of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, 
out of which thou wast taken" (Gen. Ill, 19). Ever since 
then "great labour is created for all men, and a heavy yoke 
is upon the children of Adam, from the day of their com- 
ing out of their mother's womb until the day of their burial 
into the mother of all" (Ecclus. XL, 1). Every man carries 
a cross, and feels the burden of this cross, and everyone thinks 
his cross the bigger and imagines his neighbour's the smaller. 
Many regard with a covetous eye the rich and prominent, 
those that are high and honoured in this world, but this 
is the error and delusion of envy and of selfishness; for, aside 
from the fact that the great and rich of this world are sub- 
ject to afflictions of body and soul like other mortals, and 
likewise to disease and death, they also have their particular 
troubles, as the poor have their particular troubles. No 
one on earth is without his cross, suffering is the lot of all 
men, and while the cross of some men is heavier than that of 
others, we must remember that there is not only a difference 
in crosses, but also in grace: in the trials He sends, God does 
not overtax the strength of anyone, He bestows upon the 
sufferer sufficient grace to bear His cross in the way God 



COMFORT IN SUFFERING 151 

desires him to bear it. Furthermore, it is just to His chosen 
and beloved children that God sends the sorest afflictions, 
the heaviest visitations. He dearly loved His Blessed Mother, 
and, behold, He made her the most sorrowful Mother. There- 
fore the devout Christian should say to himself: All people 
have their suffering: hence, also I must suffer. I desire to 
suffer, because I deserve it, I am an ungrateful creature of 
God, I have violated His commandments, it is but proper 
that I suffer. 

2. We should also consider that the sufferings of this time 
are of short duration, like everything temporal. What is 
fleeter than time? "Thou sleepest," says St. Ambrose, 
"but time sleepeth not, it speeds by, and carries off in its 
flight the sufferings as well as the joys of this life. As the river 
flows into the sea, never to return, thus flow away our days 
of life. The hour of death finishes both, the days of our 
life and its sufferings." Therefore, in the afflictions of this 
life, let us take comfort in the thought: All suffering of 
this earth is soon at an end: all tribulations of this life are 
but tribulations of a short time, decreasing and ending in 
the course of time. When the patriarch Jacob was asked his 
age by Pharao, he replied: "The days of my pilgrimage 
are 130 years, few and evil." A life of 130 years seems a 
long life, yet it seems short after the years have passed, 
the dying looks back to his past life as to a short dream. 
Therefore, my Christian brother, even if thy poverty, thy 
want and distress, will endure for a time, finally it must come 
to an end. Should thy pain, thy suffering, be ever so vio- 
lent and protracted, should thy worries be ever so hard and 
bitter, finally they will come to an end; for all tribulations 
of this life are for a time only. 

3. And then follows the glory promised by God to those 
who are His. "I reckon," says the Apostle, "that the suffer- 



152 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the 
glory to come, that shall be revealed in us." Thus he en- 
courages us to bear the sufferings of this short time with res- 
ignation to the holy Will of God, that we may obtain the 
promised glory. The sense of his words is: Christians, re- 
main steadfast and be comforted, death will not only end 
all your suffering, but it will be the beginning of joy ever- 
lasting; take heart in your crosses, in your distress, in your 
tribulations, because better times are in store for you — 
everlasting, happy times. This body, now racked by pain 
and troubled by adversity, shall once rise gloriously in God's 
power and glory, it shall shine as the sun, and join for ever- 
more your glorified soul: then there will be no longer death, 
God will dry your tears, and He will prepare for you a blessed- 
ness beyond human comprehension. 

What soul, my brethren, be it ever so harassed and suffering, 
would not be fortified by the thought of the future glory? 
Many there are who have been sighing for years under the 
burden of a diseased body, dying a slow death; yet what 
are their sufferings against the glory to be revealed in those 
who unite their sufferings with Christ's sufferings, and bear 
them with patience and resignation? A few years of woe and 
pain are followed by joy and blessedness everlasting. Many 
and manifold are the sufferings on earth; but what sufferer is 
not comforted by the promise of God, that after this short 
tribulation he shall enjoy a blessedness and glory that no 
human eye has seen, no human ear has heard, no human 
reason can grasp! 

This glory is enjoyed by many chosen souls; they are in the 
everlasting possession of God and of all His blessedness; they 
know now that the suffering of this time is not worthy to be 
compared to the glory that has been revealed in them. Hence, 
have we really cause to complain of our suffering? Must 



COMFORT IN SUFFERING 153 

we not look upon it as rather a grace of God? Should we not 
thank God for rewarding our brief adversities with eternal 
joy? Hence, instead of weeping over the loss of the dear de- 
parted, let us thank God that his sufferings are at an end, 
that they have been changed, as we may hope, into joy 
and glory everlasting; let us accept our loss with thankfulness 
and devotion, bear it patiently, and lead such a Christian life 
that we may once share in the kingdom promised. Let us 
pray for the deceased. 



XLVII 
THE NIGHT OF DEATH FOR BODY AND SOUL 

I must work whilst it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work 
(John IX, 4). 

Night is not a friend of man, says an old adage. Dark- 
ness inspires fear, thieves come at night, accidents and fires 
are more terrifying at night than in the daytime. At night 
death carries off most of its victims. Our sister, too, died 
at night, but death did not seem to her an enemy, but a 
friend, for whom she had long wished as the deliverer from 
her sufferings and the messenger of eternal peace. She had 
prepared for death by receiving the holy rites of the Church, 
and by enduring her long sufferings in patience for the sake of 
God; thus she could hope to proceed through the night of death 
to everlasting light. While the night of this earth is not the 
friend of man, there is yet another night, still more terrible, 
the night of death for the body and for the soul. I wish to 
speak to you a few words about this night for your warning 
and benefit. 

1. However fiercely the sun may shine on a hot summer's 
day, at last it will set; there comes evening, which turns 
gradually into that state of darkness and stillness that we 
call night. This process in nature has its counterpart in the 
life of man. We may reach the age of seventy, eighty, or 
even ninety years; the day will come when the sun of life 
will set for us, there will come the evening of life, followed 
by the dark night of death. St. Cyprian says that everybody 
is born with a rope around his neck, and the sick-bed or other 
place where he dies is the gallows where he is executed, be- 

154 



THE NIGHT OF DEATH FOR BODY AND SOUL 155 

cause (do not forget this) death is an expiation for sin. As 
after sunset, when night comes, our eyes close in sleep and 
are no longer seeing, so, when the night of death comes, the 
eyes of men are closed to this world for ever, until the day 
of judgment. The body is put in a coffin, interred, and 
covered with earth. All worldly pride and glory is at an 
end. For a short while his name will still be mentioned, but 
soon, all too soon, he will be forgotten. After a little while it 
will be as if he had never lived; even of men famous in life 
hardly anything more is known than the place where they 
lie buried. "Oh, vanity of vanities, all is vanity" (Eccl. II). 
In his grave lies here the covetous man; in life he could never 
get enough, now he is satisfied with a small hole in the ground. 
There lies the unchaste, who, to gratify his flesh, disregarded 
God and eternity; now his flesh is the food of the worms. 
There lies the quarrelsome person, who could never get 
along with anybody in life; now he cares not who is his 
neighbour. There lies, also, the good and pious Christian, 
resting from the struggle and the temptations of this life, 
eternally rejoicing in God, His Saviour. For, my brethren, 
whatever man sows in this life, that shall he reap in the 
hereafter. St. Paul tells us that "he that soweth in his 
flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption; but he that 
soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting" 
(Gal. VI, 8). We may understand, then, why St. Teresa 
exclaimed whenever the clock struck the hour: "Thank 
God, another hour nearer to my Lord and Saviour: another 
hour less of this life." Now we may understand, also, why 
so many people are afraid to die. The cause is the fear of 
the dark night of death. Death parts us from everything 
in this life, and decides our fate in the other world. And 
death comes for everyone of us — to-day it is this one, to- 
morrow it may be myself, everyone in his turn — and yet 



156 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

how little attention do we pay to this truth! If we would 
think oftener of the night of death, we would more carefully 
avoid sin; sin alone it is that makes the thought of death 
dreadful, and eternity terrible. Take away sin, and death 
has lost its sting. 

But, to arrive through the night of death at the glorious 
day of eternity, we must not only flee sin, but do good works; 
for Jesus says: the tree that does not bear fruit will be cut 
down and thrown into the fire. He admonishes us to lay 
up treasures that no thief can steal, that no rust can consume, 
and worms cannot eat — treasures which remain ours even 
after death, and which will accompany us into the hereafter. 
What kind of treasures are these? They are our good deeds. 
Hence, the exhortation of the Apostle: "And in doing good, 
let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing" 
(Gal. VI, 9). Verily, if, out of love to God, we not only flee 
sin, but are zealous in doing good, if we keep the command- 
ments, perform faithfully the duties of our station and vo- 
cation, and bear patiently for the love of God the sufferings 
and adversities of this life, then we are sowing a seed from 
which we shall reap a rich harvest in the hereafter. But 
if during our life we fail to lay up such treasures, then there 
will come for us not only the night of death of the body, but 
the still more horrible night of death for the soul. 

2. The night of death of the soul is twofold. It may be- 
fall the soul already in this life, and, which is the greater ca- 
lamity, in the hereafter. Night it is, already in this world, 
in the heart of the sinner. The light of divine grace is ex- 
tinguished in his soul; he does not see the evil of the path 
he walks; he does not see the ruin to which the gay road of 
vice is leading; and if a man like this does not begin to pray 
and to take his refuge in God and the Blessed Virgin, if 
others in pity do not pray for him, if he is not converted, 



THE NIGHT OF DEATH FOR BODY AND SOUL 157 

then, alas, he is lost, he will walk on in the darkness of the 
soul till death comes forth for the body, and then this soul 
enters the night of eternal death, perdition for evermore. 
Our Lord, in speaking of hell, calls it the place of wretchedness, 
the place of everlasting darkness. Oh, terrible night, where 
the light of God does not shine for all eternity! Oh, horrible 
darkness, where never in all eternity a ray of heavenly glory 
will penetrate! Oh, terrible place, where those condemned 
by God must suffer eternally, without hope, without relief! 

Alas, a terrible truth! And yet the truth! Hence, how 
precious and invaluable are the moments, the hours and days, 
of our life on earth ! Our whole eternity depends on the good 
or bad use we make of them. Once dead, we can no longer 
do good: all our time of grace is then at an end. Eternity 
points out to man all the sins he has committed, but it gives 
him no longer the means to wipe them out. What in eternity 
even the Saints in heaven are powerless to achieve, namely, 
a higher degree of blessedness, we can achieve while we yet 
live in this world, by virtue or good deeds. What the damned 
in hell throughout eternity cannot do, despite all their despair, 
their suffering and wailing, namely, appease the wrath of 
the Lord, this we can do while yet in this life. Even if a man 
has burdened his soul with a thousand mortal sins, if he has 
merited hell a thousand times, yet he may save his soul 
from eternal perdition, may save it in a single moment, by 
a sincere return to God and true repentance. 

My dear brethren, let us take to heart the admonition of 
the Lord: "Work whilst it is day, for night cometh, when 
no man can work." Let us take to heart the words of the 
Apostle: "Work your salvation with fear and trembling." 
Indeed, we must work our salvation with fear and trembling; 
and let him who stands, beware from falling, and let him 
who has fallen, arise from his fall whilst it is time. Only 



158 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

the humble recognition of our frailty, only fervent prayer 
and faithful cooperation with the grace of God, can prevent 
us from falling, and if we should fall, can lift us from the 
fall and save us from eternal night, from everlasting darkness. 
That our departed sister has been received into the dwelling 
of eternal light is our fervent hope, and we will now offer 
a prayer for the peace of her soul. 1 



XLVIII 
SAVE THY SOUL 

Save thy soul (Gen. XIX, 17). 

"Man knoweth not his own end, but as fishes are taken 
with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, some 
are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon 
them" (Eccl. IX, 12). Our experience has of ten verified this 
truth, and again the sudden death of our brother, whose 
earthly remains we have just laid to rest, calls out to us, with 
loud and urgent voice: "Man knoweth not his end." There 
is but one step between life and death. What has happened 
to him may happen to anyone of us too; hence I recall for 
your special consideration the words which the angel spoke 
to Lot before the destruction of Sodom, "Save thy soul!" 

These words mean, look out, be prepared for death, lest 
your soul go to perdition with the death of the body, see that 
you are saved for eternity. For the soul is more precious than 
the body, which is but dust and shall return unto dust; the 
soul is of greater value than all the wealth, honours, and 
pleasures of this world, all of which we must leave behind us 
in death. The soul is the breath of God, spirit of His Spirit, 
it bears the image of God. How dare we despoil this image 
and disfigure it by sin? What, then, does it matter if we 
lose all our belongings, even life? If only the soul is saved, 
then everything is saved; for we must prize our soul more 
highly than all the treasures and honours of this world, more 
highly than life itself, because the soul is the precious image 
of God. 

159 



160 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

To appreciate better the value of the soul look at the 
price paid for its redemption, remember who paid that price. 
St. Eusebius says: "If you do not listen to Him who has 
created you, then ask Him who has redeemed you, how much 
you are worth. What is the price which Christ has paid for 
thee? Consider the sufferings of Jesus Christ, how He was 
mistreated and mocked; think of the scourging, the crown of 
thorns, and the Cross. To redeem thee, to purchase thee, He 
sacrificed His life — He, God's eternal Son — He, true God 
like the Father. Look at the magnificence of the moon and 
stars, look at the earth in all its beauty; what is it all com- 
pared to God? Hardly more than a speck of dust. There- 
fore, thou art worth infinitely more than heaven and earth, 
with all their splendour. The standard of thy worth is the 
Eternal God Himself, for He has purchased thee with His 
own Blood." And St. Bernard says: "Thou art worth as 
much as the Blood of Our Lord Jesus." 

Since this is so, my brethren, since our soul is the image of 
God, since Christ has purchased our soul with His precious 
Blood, must we not exert all our power to save it for heaven? 
Alas, how sadly we often neglect our soul, exposing it to the 
danger of everlasting perdition! We dress and adorn our 
body, but the soul is left bare of virtue. The body is care- 
fully cleansed, but the soul is soiled by sin. If our body takes 
sick, then we summon at once the physician and take the 
remedies to recover; but in the disease of the soul we often 
ignore the remedy instituted for it by the Saviour, in the 
Sacrament of Penance. We do not think of reforming, we do 
not practise self-denial and works of penance, we do not avoid 
the occasions of sin. 

Thus you see how little esteemed the soul is, in many cases, 
although it is the image of God, and has been redeemed with 
the precious Blood of our Lord. Oh, take to heart the words 



SAVE THY SOUL 161 

of our Saviour: "For what doth it profit a man if he gain 
the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. 
XVI, 26). What does it profit to become rich in worldly pos- 
sessions, but to remain poor in good deeds? Yihat good will 
it do to occupy positions of honour, if in the eyes of God we 
are disgraced because of our sins? Of what profit are all the 
pleasures of this world, if at the judgment seat of God we 
shall be condemned to everlasting pain? Therefore, save your 
soul, first of all. Keep it undefiled by sin. The soul is God's 
image, purchased by the Blood of Christ. Avoid sin and 
its occasions, for he who courts danger shall succumb to dan- 
ger. Be firm and steadfast in temptation, fight the good 
fight lest you forfeit the crown of fife. And if you should 
have the misfortune to sin, then go forthwith and cleanse 
your soul in the Sacrament of Penance. But you must do 
more. Adorn your soul day by day with virtues and good 
works. Then you may hope, even in the event of a sudden 
death, to save your soul and to be received into eternal life. 
Let us now pray for our departed brother. 



XLIX 
THE ONE THING NECESSARY 

But one thing is necessary (Luke X, 42). 

My friends, there is one thing at once the highest good, 
the goal, and the object of our life. What is this one thing? 
It is eternal salvation. Hence, the Apostle exhorts us to 
work out our salvation "with fear and trembling" (Phil. 
II, 12); hence, the Lord Himself commanded us to seek, in 
the first place, and before everything else, God's kingdom and 
justice. This truth is forgotten by many people; their aim 
is directed at things altogether different, at idle and perish- 
able goods, which in their mind are the one thing necessary. 
God, in His fatherly love, therefore frequently repeats His 
warning: "But one thing is necessary, thy eternal salvation." 
This warning He puts before us in many forms, but espe- 
cially by the sight of death. This warning He is giving us 
to-day, by the grave of a man who had to part from his family 
in the prime of his life. And if anyone of us should think that 
his own death is surely a long time distant, and that this 
warning does not apply to him, that he will have plenty of 
time to care for the salvation of his soul, I would especially 
warn him that the grave is calling men in all stages of life. 

1. It calls the age of youth. "But one thing is necessary," 
for uncertain is the hour of death. Rosy cheeks, vigour of life, 
youthful energy, give not immunity from death; often we 
see young men and young women carried to their graves. 
Hence, they too must work out their salvation; hence, the 
fear of God and piety must begin with early childhood. We 
have in Christ a sublime Model to imitate, and in the Old 

162 



THE ONE THING NECESSARY 163 

Testament we find models in Joseph, Samuel, Jonathan, 
and in young Tobias. "I love them that love me," says the 
Lord, "and they that in the morning early watch for me, 
shall find me" (Prov. VIII, 17). "By what does a young 
man correct his way?" asks the Psalmist, and answers: "By 
observing thy words" (Ps. CXVIII, 9). "Rejoice, there- 
fore, Oh young man, in thy youth, and walk in the ways of 
thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes," says Holy Writ, 
adding, however, "and know that for all these God will bring 
thee into judgment" (EccLIX, 10). If young people devote 
their whole time and their entire mind to the gain of earthly 
knowledge, if they seek and enjoy only worldly pleasures, if 
they pursue only vain and idle things, of what profit will all 
this be when they suddenly fall a prey to death? Oh, young 
people, give room in your heart to the Holy Ghost! The 
Lord's words, "But one thing is necessary," apply to you 
as they did to the young woman they were spoken to. Choose 
the better part, like Mary, the sister of Lazarus, so that death 
cannot despoil you of your possessions. 

2. The grave calls the age of manhood. At the mature 
age, when men and women have usually become fathers and 
mothers of families, then the duties of this life will often 
make great demands upon their energy; they must work 
and worry, and be at all times busy to provide for their 
family the necessaries of life; often they allow themselves 
to get so wrapped up in this work as to lose sight of the 
needs of the soul, of the care for its salvation. Should death 
come — and we often see strong men and women taken by 
death — what good do all those earthly possessions do that 
they have scraped together, of what benefit is all the earthly 
work they have done, neglecting the one, necessary thing? 
Surely no one is more in need of the fear of God and of serious 
care for His salvation than a father, because he should serve 



164 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

in this matter as a model to his family. "Blessed are all they 
that fear the Lord, that walk in his ways; blessed art thou; 
and it shall be well with thee" (Ps. CXXVII, 1, 2). 

3. Old age, especially, should heed the call of the grave. 
But one thing is necessary : fleeting is the time of life. Urgent 
is the call to those who, in human reckoning, are standing at 
the brink of the grave, those advanced in years, and they are 
particularly reminded, that the grave is nigh, by the fre- 
quent deaths of the friends and acquaintances of their younger 
days, by the waning of their physical vigour, by grey hair, 
and wrinkles. And yet, even at this stage of life we meet 
with much love of life and of worldly things, as if there would 
never be a parting from this world. It behooves those of 
advanced age, particularly, to think of their immortal souls, 
lest they appear unprepared before God, lest they miss the true 
aim of life, lest they live a long life in vain. Therefore, we 
read: "Three sorts my soul hateth and I am greatly grieved 
at their life: a poor man that is proud; a rich man that is 
a liar; and an old man that is a fool and doting. The 
things that thou hast not gathered in thy youth, how shalt 
thou find them in thy old age? Oh how comely is wisdom for 
the aged and understanding and counsel to men of honour " 
(Eccl. XXV, 3, 7). 

Let us all take to heart the words of the Lord, whatever our 
stage of life: "But one thing is necessary. " Let us strive to 
promote this one thing necessary, the salvation of our soul, 
as well as we can, by a God-fearing and virtuous life, that 
the Lord may find us watching and ready when He comes 
to summon us. None of us can know whether he will find the 
time and grace to prepare for death by the holy rites of the 
Church as did our departed brother. If you desire the 
salvation of your soul, do not delay your conversion to God. 
Now let us say a prayer for the deceased. 



IF CHRIST IS OUR LIFE, THEN DEATH IS OUR 

GAIN 

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. I, 21). 

My friends, the errand on which we have come shows us 
the goal of our pilgrimage on earth, the grave. In this grave 
we have laid a pilgrim who commanded the sincere respect 
of us all by his industry and probity, by his generous disposi- 
tion, his Christian mind and life, and who, we may therefore 
hope, has found grace before the Lord. 

Standing at this grave, we are forcibly reminded of the 
truth that everything of this earth has an end, and that every- 
thing living on earth must die. But another thought sug- 
gests itself with equal force, the terrifying thought that 
death and the grave are followed by the judgment, and that 
death means for us an accounting for our stewardship. It 
is true, since our Lord Jesus has triumphed over death and 
over the grave, we describe the grave as a resting place, a 
haven of peace, the gate to the kingdom of glory. All this 
it is, indeed, praise be to the Lord! It is our great good 
fortune to say with the Apostle: "To die is gain." But 
bear in mind that he prefaced this with the words: "To me, 
to live is Christ." For only they will derive a benefit from the 
Lord's victory over death and the grave, and to die is a gain 
only for those, whose life was Christ, which means, those 
who belonged to the Lord as His faithful, as the living mem- 
bers of His Church. Let us briefly meditate here, on this sol- 

165 



166 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

emn but also consoling truth, that to die is our gain if Christ 
is our life. 

1. To die is our gain only if Christ is our life. His glory will 
be revealed in us in death only if we have believed in the divin- 
ity of His Person and in His doctrine. Everything depends 
on our answer to the question: "What think you of Christ ?" 
(Matt. XXII, 42). Peter gave the answer: "Thou art 
Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. XVI, 16). True, 
flesh and blood do not reveal this to us, but our Father who is 
in heaven. Blessed are they, who have this belief by the 
grace of God, for they have in Christ the teacher of the truth, 
the model and example for their life, the forgiver of sins, the 
mediator and advocate with the Father, the prince of peace, 
the friend of their souls, the gracious Judge, and, persever- 
ing in this belief, they need not be anxious in the hour of 
death, but may hope to enter the kingdom of glory. "He that 
believeth in the Son," says St. John, "hath life everlasting: 
but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but 
the wrath of God abideth on him" (John III, 36). 

2. Only if Christ is our life, then death is our gain, for, 
when we die, He will give us the new life only if during 
our life we have made use of the merits of His redeeming 
Sacrifice. All men can be benefited by the merits of the 
passion and death of Jesus Christ, they are offered to all men 
by His established Church, but it is for men to secure them 
through the means of grace instituted in this Church. This 
is why Christ has given to His priests the power of forgiving 
sins, and why His priests are exhorting you incessantly: Be 
reconciled to God, for "Him, who knew no sin, for us he hath 
made sin that we might be made the justice of God in him" 
(2. Cor. V, 21). When we are in sin, my dear friends, then 
we are the enemies of God, children of God's wrath, doomed to 
perdition; but if we become reconciled to God in the Sacra- 



CHRIST OUR LIFE, DEATH OUR GAIN 167 

ment of Penance, instituted by Christ in His Church for the 
remission of sins, then the Holy Ghost again bestows upon 
us sanctifying grace, justice, and sanctity, the supernatural 
life of the soul. St. Paul says, "The Spirit himself giveth 
testimony to our spirit, that we are the children of God, but, 
if children, heirs also and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 
VIII, 16, 17). There is also the Holy Eucharist, wherein 
Christ, the Son of God, gives Himself to the faithful, that 
they may have the true life within themselves. There is the 
Sacrament of Extreme Unction, that He has instituted for 
the faithful who are sick. Need anyone who regularly and 
devoutly receives the Sacraments be afraid of death? To 
die, will it not be his gain? It is: he has received Christ, the 
true Life, and may hope that in him the word will be fulfilled : 
"I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, 
although he shall be dead, shall live" (John XI, 25). 

3. Only if we live in Christ, then to die will be our gain; 
for only those who in life have faithfully observed His com- 
mandments shall in death find in Him a merciful Judge. 
"If any man will come after me," demands the Lord, "let him 
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." And 
the loyal faithful know they are in duty bound to follow Him; 
it is their task of life, it is the one thing necessary. But it is 
not easy. The way mapped out by the Lord for His followers, 
and which He was the first to walk Himself, is the way of the 
Cross. It is demanded of them to practise self-denial, to 
subdue their obstinate hearts, to trust in Providence, to re- 
nounce everything evil. There must be eternal vigilance, 
incessant struggle against the world and sin, and the faithful 
observation of His commandments. Difficult it may be to 
comply with all these demands, but "the Spirit also helpeth 
our infirmity" (Rom. VIII, 28), and He will give us the will 
and the strength to perform good works. Again, what has he 



168 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

to fear in death who in his life has endeavoured to be like 
Christ, to imitate Him in life, and to sanctify himself by ful- 
filling God's Will and by patience in cross and suffering? The 
Saviour promised that "He that doth the will of my Father 
who is in heaven shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" 
(Matt. VII, 21), and the Apostle says: "Those who suffer 
with Christ will be glorified with Christ" (Rom. VIII, 17). 
You see, dear brethren, death and the grave lose their terror 
if we believe in Christ, the Son of God; if we make use 
of His merits and imitate Him in our life. Oh, let us there- 
fore flee sin, keep God's commandments, and let us zeal- 
ously use the means of salvation provided by the Church, 
so that we also may say: "For us to live is Christ: then to 
die will be our gain." Let us now pray for the deceased. 



LI 
OUR TRUE HOME 

Go forth otti of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy 
father's house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee (Gen. 
XII, 1). 

My friends, the words that the Lord once spoke to Abra- 
ham: "Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, 
and out of thy father's house, and come into the land which I 
shall shew thee," were spoken these days to our departed 
sister. Suddenly stricken, her sickness prevailed over the 
skill of the physician; then she, too, had to leave her father's 
house and this earth, she had to part from her kindred and 
from all she loved on earth. And her fate will be the fate of 
everyone of us, sooner or later; we shall go forth out of our 
earthly home, out of the place where we were born and where 
we are passing our life, and part from everything that we 
love and treasure here below, "for we have not here a lasting 
city," says the Apostle, "but we seek one that is to come." 
The earth is not our home; it is the place of our pilgrimage to 
another home, to our true home, known to us by the faith. 
"For we know," says St. Paul, "if our earthly house of this 
habitation be dissolved, that we have a building of God, a 
house not made with hands, eternal in heaven" (2. Cor. V, 1). 

Indeed, our true home is not here below. The word home 
suggests a place of rest and peace; but in this world there is 
no true rest and peace. "The life of man upon earth is a 
warfare," says pious Job (VII, 1), and our daily experience 
proves this to be true. Day by day we have to war with the 
foes of our salvation, with the Evil One, with the world and the 

169 



170 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

flesh, which are never letting up on us, but lay their traps 
and snares and put obstacles in our way; withal, we have to 
work for our daily bread amid cares, troubles, and worries 
untold, and endure pain and affliction besides. Verily, "as 
a servant longeth for the shade, as the hireling looketh for 
the end of his work" (Job VII, 2), so do we all long for a 
better home, where there dwells enduring peace. The word 
home implies a permanent abode of our kindred. Here below 
there is no permanence, "for it is appointed unto men once 
to die" (Heb. IX, 27). Of this we become convinced every 
day. Probably there is not a single person among us who has 
not buried father or mother, husband or wife, brother or sister, 
son or daughter, friend or neighbour; and the hour will 
strike for each and everyone of us, when we must go 
forth out of this country, when we have to part from kin 
and friends, to go into the land which the Lord shall shew us. 
We are not created for this earth, but for God and ever- 
lasting blessedness. This we shall find in heaven, our true 
home, where there is nothing to afflict us, no unrest, no strife, 
no poverty, no cares, no sickness, no suffering, no death. 
"Behold," said the voice from the throne, describing this 
home to St. John the Apostle, "behold the tabernacle of God 
with men, and he will dwell with them. And they shall be 
his people; and God himself with them shall be their God. 
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death 
shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow" 
(Apoc. XXI, 3, 4). Hence, there will be nothing to cast a 
gloom over us, but everything that can make us truly happy. 
There we shall see God as He is (John III, 2), and in His 
sight we shall enjoy a bliss and rapture which no human eye 
has seen, nor heart has tasted, which is past all comprehension, 
and this blessedness will be unchanging and everlasting. 
"The children of men," so assures us the Psalmist, "shall be 



OUR TRUE HOME 171 

inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt 
make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure. Blessed 
are they that dwell in thy house, Oh Lord, they shall praise 
thee for ever and ever" (Ps. XXXV, 9, 10; LXXXIII, 5). 
Who would not wish for this beautiful home, who would not 
exert all his strength to win it? And how can we win this 
home? 

. "There is a way, which seemeth just to a man," says King 
Solomon, "but the ends thereof lead to death" (Prov. XIV, 
12), and to perdition. This is the way walked by the unbe- 
lieving, the lukewarm, the proud, the uncharitable, the un- 
chaste, the covetous, gluttons, and drunkards, the slanderers, 
in short, all sinners. They think their way is the right way 
because it gratifies all their evil desires; but the end thereof 
leads to death and damnation. " Woe to the wicked unto evil," 
says the Spirit of the Lord, "for the reward of his hands shall 
be given him" (Isa. Ill, 11). Where, then, is the right way 
to our eternal home? The right way is, in the first place, the 
way of the faith: for we have the word of the Saviour that 
"he that believeth shall be saved " (Mark XVII, 16). It is, 
furthermore, the way of the divine commandments; for, when 
the young man asked of Jesus: " Good master, what good shall 
I do, that I may have life everlasting?" He told him: "If 
thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 
XIX, 16, 17). The right way is, finally, the way of the Cross: 
for the Saviour said: "If any man will come after me, let 
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" 
(Luke IX, 24). 

It behooves you to examine yourselves, my dear brethren, 
whether you are walking this way; whether you firmly be- 
lieve in all that God has revealed, and that He prescribed by 
His Church to be believed; whether you have kept the com- 
mandments, and endured your sufferings and tribulations 



172 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

with patience. And should your conscience reproach you 
with fault, with having been lukewarm and indifferent in 
fulfilling your religious duties; with having deviated from the 
way of the commandments and walked the way of sin and 
vice; with having complained of the cross imposed upon you 
by the Lord; then there is no other way for your salvation 
and to the heavenly home but the way of penance: for the 
Lord says: "Unless you shall do penance you shall all like- 
wise perish" (Luke XIII, 3). 

Hence, do penance without delay, for man knoweth not 
his own end. To our departed sister was granted time for 
penance, and she took advantage thereof to prepare for a good 
death. Whether the same grace will be granted to us, we do 
not know. Therefore, let us make conscientious use of the 
time allowed to us by the Lord, to make sure of entering our 
heavenly home, by a penitent life, by keeping the divine com- 
mandments, and by patiently enduring our visitations in 
this life. Now let us pray for our departed sister. 



LII 
OUR HOPE IN DEATH 

The just hath hope in his death (Prov. XIV, 32). 

The things which human nature dreads most are death and 
the grave. But, dreadful and horrible as death may appear 
to human nature, and however repugnant and awful may be 
the thought : Thou must die once, thou must part from what- 
ever is dear to thee here below, there is, according to the word 
of the Holy Ghost, hope in death for the good, and he may 
look forward to it with composure. Why, indeed, should 
the righteous be afraid of death, why should he not die in 
consolation and hope? What else does death mean to him, but 
the end of all earthly hardships, and the relief from a heavy, 
oppressing burden? To the just death means the evening 
when work ceases, and rest and refreshment are awaiting 
him; a peaceful sleep after a hard day*s work, the end of a 
perilous pilgrimage and of the struggle with the foes of his 
salvation; it means to him the harvest reaped from the sowing 
of tears, and the return to God, his Father in Heaven. 

Yes, dear friends, this is what death means to the just. 
Looked at in this light, does not death lose its awful aspect? 
It certainly does. As the prisoner rejoices when the door of 
his cell is unlocked, as the labourer is glad when evening comes, 
as the soldier rejoices when the war is over and he can return 
to his home, as the tiller of the soil is glad when harvest time 
comes and he may gather the fruits of his toil, as the wanderer 
rejoices when after a long absence he again crosses the threshold 
of his father's house, so the righteous may be glad when death 
comes; for death relieves him of the burden of all earthly suf- 
ferings and hardships; it sets free the soul imprisoned in his 
body and takes it home, into the heavenly glory, where it will 

173 



174 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

rest from toil and hardship, enjoying the fruits of its victory 
over the foes of salvation, the fruits of its virtues, rejoicing 
eternally in God and in the glory of God. Indeed, the just 
may be hopeful in his death. 

Quite different it is with the death of the unrepenting sinner; 
he does not meet his death with comfort and hope. He cannot 
see in death a friend that will introduce him to a better life, but 
rather a messenger of the divine wrath, who will arraign him 
before the Judge. During his life he has never thought of God, 
nor of Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent for our redemption; 
nor has he ever complied with the commandments and the 
promptings of his conscience. How, then, shall he prevail be- 
fore the judgment seat of the Lord? " It is a fearful thing," so 
says the Apostle, "to fall into the hands of the living God" 
(Heb. X, 31). Alas, the unregenerate sinner has no hope in his 
death, he must look forward to it with fear and trembling. 

My friends, who among us would not rather look forward 
to his death resignedly and without fear, as does the just, 
than meet it with fear and trembling, like the sinner? As 
yet we are free to choose, but soon, maybe to-morrow even, 
we shall have a choice no longer. If we now repent sincerely 
of our sins and offences, if we do penance and reform, then 
we, too, may look forward to our dissolution with hope, for 
it is written: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God 
and the torment of death shall not touch them" (Wisd. Ill, 
1). "But the just shall live for evermore: and their reward 
is with the Lord, and the care of them with the most High. 
Therefore shall they receive a kingdom of glory and a crown 
of beauty at the hand of the Lord" (Wisd. V, 16, 17). 

This crown, so we hope, is the part of our good and truly 
Christian brother. But inasmuch as "the heavens are not 
pure in his sight" (Job XV, 15), and since the divine Judge 
may discover blemishes even there where man sees perfection, 
let us pray. 



LIII 
THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF LIFE 

For we know, if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that 
we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in 
heaven (2. Cor. V, 2). 

Whenever we stand at a grave, we are forcibly reminded 
of the different views that men have of life and death. Some 
men think earth is Paradise, because they themselves are pros- 
perous; another man, bowed down by affliction, declares it is 
a valley of sorrows. The former thinks life beautiful, and 
wishes to live long; the other man is tired of life, wishing for 
the end. The former sees in death the greatest evil, because 
it threatens to put an end to all his pleasures; the other man, 
however, welcomes death as his benefactor, as a friendly 
messenger of peace, for ever ending pain and misery and lead- 
ing him to rest. Such are the opposite views of men on life 
and death, but neither of them will bring the desired peace to 
man. The delight of the happy man in his merry life is marred 
by the thought of its shortness; whilst the unhappy man 
sighs under his burden. Neither this happy nor this unfor- 
tunate man is finding here on earth the desired rest and con- 
tentment. It cannot be, however, that God has created man 
to live only a life that fails to give satisfaction, only a life 
which no one can fully enjoy. Christianity gives us another 
view of life and death, one to satisfy us whether we are happy 
in this world or unhappy; it establishes the true connection 
between time and eternity. "We know," says the Apostle, 
"if our earthly house of this habitation [the body] be dissolved, 

175 



176 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, 
eternal in heaven." 

Our departed brother took this proper view of life and death; 
therefore he never lost patience in all his sufferings, he looked 
forward with joyful expectation to the better life and endeav- 
oured to please God, so that he might be received into the 
better life. And these sentiments ought to be ours, also, my 
brethren. 

1. We should not lose patience with the present life. Life 
on earth is not what men would like it to be; it is full of afflic- 
tions and adversity, as everyone knows by experience. " Great 
labour is created for all men," says Holy Scripture, "and a 
heavy yoke is upon the children of Adam, from the day of 
their coming out of their mother's womb until the day of 
their burial into the mother of all" (Ecclus. XL, 1). While we 
know that the earth is replete with the bountifulness of the 
Lord, there is so much change of sorrows and joys, of want 
and plenty, of fear and hope, and so on, that man can never 
fully enjoy this life. True, there are some few whose propi- 
tious star never seems to set, who seem less exposed to the 
vicissitudes of life and to oppressing hardships than others; 
there are even some whose every day in life seems to be a 
feast day, full of joy; but all this loses its value the very mo- 
ment they consider that everything is vain and passing. 
Death cuts short all their pleasures. 

Who, I ask, can fully enjoy life with the thought ever present 
that the next day may not find him alive? This alone suffices 
to embitter our life, but still more aggravating is the fact 
that we are unable to reach our goal in this life. True, the 
aim proposed to us is happiness, but where do we find it? 
After a life of even seventy years, or more, after all its strug- 
gles and battles, shall we have attained the goal of our wishes? 
Shall we be more contented then, more cheerful than in the 



THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF LIFE 177 

days of our youth? Instead of that, what have we really 
gained but an enfeebled body, impaired senses, pains, and the 
nighness of death? Such is the net result of our life. Who will 
not get disgusted with this life, when ultimately he sees 
nothing ahead of him but death, the tomb, corruption? 

But this is taking a one-sided view of life. Christianity 
shows us life in quite a different light. It tells us the present 
life is but the beginning, to be continued in the hereafter: 
here, below, we sow; yonder we shall reap. We must bear 
the heat and the burden of the day while we are here; but when 
the work is done, and the evening has come, then we, too, 
shall hear the words : " Call the labourers and pay them their 
hire." Hence, life on earth contemplated in conjunction with 
eternity will present a different aspect, and we recognize that 
"we walk by faith and not by sight" (2. Cor. V, 7); that we 
cannot find and enjoy perfect bliss in this life, but can only 
hope for it through the faith, and expect it in the hereafter. 
This contemplation will reconcile us to our life on earth. No 
matter if our earthly frame will collapse, God will build us a 
better house: no matter, if our earthly toil will yield here 
nothing but death, in the realm above we may look for mag- 
nificent reward. 

How, then, can the Christian be dissatisfied with this life? 
It is not in vain that he lives, works, and watches, for he will 
reap the fruit of his toil in the hereafter. "They that sow in 
tears shall reap in joy," says Holy Writ; "going, they went 
and wept, casting their seeds; but coming, they shall come 
with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves" (Ps. CXXV, 5, 7). 

2. Therefore the good Christian does not shrink from death. 
True, bitter and terrible is death. "Oh, death," exclaims the 
wise man in Holy Scripture, "how bitter is the remembrance 
of thee to a man that hath peace in his possession, to a man 
that is at rest and whose ways are prosperous in all things." 



178 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

But he adds : " Oh, death, thy sentence is welcome to the man 
that is in need, and the man whose strength faileth: who is 
in a decrepit age, and that is in care of all things, and to the 
distrustful that loseth patience" (Ecclus. XLI, 1-4). Even in 
affliction and sickness man does not wish for death though he 
may have nothing in life to hope for. Faith alone is able to 
sweeten the bitterness of death. For our faith teaches that 
the righteous will be delivered by death from all sufferings 
and taken into a life of bliss everlasting : that in death he will 
gain infinitely more than he loses. Here we are strangers 
only, pilgrims without a lasting home; death puts an end to 
this pilgrimage and conducts us into our eternal home, where 
there is no pain, no sorrow, but joy and glory everlasting. 
Such are the hopes and prospects held out by Christianity; 
and, hence, should the devout Christian fear to die, to become 
united with the Lord for ever, and to participate in His glory? 

3. The devout Christian will leave it to God, whether he 
shall live a long life, or die an early death; he will endeavour to 
please God by means of a steadfast belief, by virtue and good 
deeds, by the faithful performance of all his duties, by patience 
in adversity, so that in the hour of death he may hear the 
gladsome words : " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

This was the light in which our departed brother viewed 
life and death. He endeavoured to lead a Christian life, he 
accepted the visitations of the Lord with devout meekness, 
and died fortified by the holy rites, resigned to God's holy 
Will. Hence, we may hope that he has died the death of the 
just, but let us pray for him. 



LIV 
THE UNCERTAINTY OF BEING SAVED 

Man Jcnoweth not, whether he be worthy of love or hatred (Eccl. IX, 1). 

My dear brethren, St. Bernard once went upon the pulpit, 
stood there for a time in silence, and then broke forth 
in tears. This, of course, threw the whole congregation into 
consternation. At last the Saint broke the silence, saying in 
mournful and plaintive voice: "I am filled with sadness by 
the thought that not all those assembled here may be saved. 
Who, indeed, knows whether I myself shall be saved? " In 
fact, not one of the hundreds there assembled could say posi- 
tively that he would be saved. "Man knoweth not, whether 
he be worthy of love or hatred," said King Solomon, inspired 
by the Holy Ghost. Did not even the great Apostle, though 
he had visions of things that no other man ever saw, — did 
not even he fear that he might be condemned? "I chastise 
my body and bring it into subjection," he writes, "lest per- 
haps when I have preached to others I myself should become 
a castaway" (1. Cor. IX, 27). This truth is suggested to our 
minds, also, whenever we are standing at a grave. To our 
question, whether he has been saved, there is no positive an- 
swer. We can only hope so, especially if he has led such a 
Christian life as our departed brother did, and, like him, was 
reconciled before death with God. Yet we cannot know 
whether he has been found entirely without spot and blemish 
before the eyes of the strict Judge, to whom nothing is hidden; 
therefore we shall pray for the peace of his soul, and shall 
offer in his behalf the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that the 

179 



180 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

merciful God may be gracious to his soul, for the sake of the 
merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

What, however, had we better do, considering that we are, 
as it were, suspended between heaven and hell, and nobody 
is sure of his salvation? The Apostle replies: "With fearful 
trembling work out your salvation'* (Phil. II, 12), and "He 
that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed, lest he 
fall" (1. Cor. X, 12). To work out our salvation, we must 
first of all become reconciled to God if we have sinned, by 
sincere penance, by avoiding sin, thereafter, and by enter- 
taining in our heart a profound hatred for sin; but not only 
this, we also must keep the commandments to manifest our 
love for Him; for the Saviour says: "He that hath my com- 
mandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (John 
XIV, 21). St. John also writes: "He who saith that he 
knoweth him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, 
and the truth is not in him" (1. John II, 4). The hatred for 
sin, the careful avoidance of sin, and the keeping of the divine 
commandments, are sure signs that the Holy Spirit dwells 
in such a soul, that it is a vessel that will be chosen for 
eternity. 

To work out our salvation, we, furthermore, must re- 
pent even lesser sins, beg from the bottom of our heart for 
the Lord's forgiveness, renew our good resolutions, and follow 
henceforth obediently the promptings of the Lord. Finally, 
we must willingly submit to the divine Will always and 
under all circumstances; we must suffer what He desires us 
to suffer: we must praise and bless God at all times, in hours 
of peace and in hours of struggle, in hours of comfort as in the 
hours of adversity: in hours of joy as well as in the hours 
of distress. This is the highest degree of love of God here 
below, there is none higher; and for this love God has promised 
a reward in heaven that passes comprehension. "Eye hath 



THE UNCERTAINTY OF BEING SAVED 181 

not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart 
of man, what things God has prepared for them that love 
him" (1. Cor. II, 9). 

And now I ask of you, my brethren, can you say that you 
love God in this manner? Or must you not confess that you 
are the enemies of God because of your sins and vices, because 
of your murmuring in trials and distress, because of your in- 
difference in prayer and good deeds? Or, at least must you 
not confess that your love of Him is cold? If this be so, you 
can do nothing better than to repent of your sins forthwith, 
to seek their remission in the Sacrament of Penance, to 
kindle again your love, that has grown cold, by the fire of the 
Saviour's love, by means of Holy Communion, and then 
proceed on the path of love to work out your salvation, with 
fear and trembling. Let this be our firm resolution from 
this day on. 

But thou, Oh most merciful Lord and Saviour, do not call 
us suddenly to judgment, but grant us respite for true bet- 
terment: let the Holy Ghost move our heart and fill it with a 
horror for sin, with sincere repentance for past wrongs, 
a strong will to follow Thy promptings and to submit to 
Thy holy Will, that we may say with the Apostle: "For me 
to live is Christ and to die is gain." And to the deceased 
grant eternal rest. Amen. 



LV 

THINK OF DEATH! 

In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin 
(Ecclus. VII, 40). 

When we learn of the death of someone whom we have 
known well, or when, as to-day, we are standing at the grave 
of a departed member of our parish, our soul sees death in 
its devastation, and we are forcefully reminded of the fact 
that we all are mortal. But then, after we have returned from 
the place of burial and resumed the even tenor of our way, 
we usually soon dismiss the solemn thought of death; with 
the consequence that we are setting our heart more and more 
on worldly things, lose sight of God, and neglect our salva- 
tion. Hence, the admonition of the Spirit of the Lord: 
"In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt 
never sin." When should we especially remember our last 
end? 

1. We should remember it the first thing in the morning. 
When we rise in the morning we do not know whether we 
shall be alive at evening. "From morning even to night 
thou wilt make an end of me" (Isa. XXXVIII, 13), said 
King Ezechias to God, and therefore he spent all day in the 
service of the Lord. Not being secure from death at any 
hour, we cannot do better than to think of death the very 
first thing every morning, recommend ourselves for the day 
to the care of God and of His holy angels, and act in such a 
way that if we should die that day we may die in the peace of 
the Lord. 

182 



THINK OF DEATH! 183 

2. We should remember death especially in the evening. 
Night is the time when death mostly carries off its prey. 
Night-time it was when the soul was required of the rich 
man who had said before retiring: " Soul, thou hast much goods 
laid up for many years, take thy rest, drink, make good 
cheer" (Luke XII, 20). If you recollect at what hour your 
relatives have died, your friends and neighbours, you will find 
that most of them have died at night-time. Hence, the Lord 
likens death to a thief who enters the house at night, when 
people are not watching. Remember this when retiring at 
night. Death may suddenly strike you in the course of the 
night; so do not go to sleep without examining your conscience, 
repenting of your sins, praying for God's grace and mercy, 
and commending yourself to the protection of your guardian 
angel and of your patron saint. 

3. We should think of death, furthermore, when in temp- 
tation and in danger of sinning. That we are surrounded 
with dangers and temptations to sin, with opportunities to 
sin, you know from your own experience; you also know 
that it takes great watchfulness, much prayer and struggle, 
to resist temptation victoriously and not to succumb. An 
excellent help is the thought of death. Holy Scripture tells 
us: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt 
never sin." We shall never sin if we earnestly reason this 
way: "I certainly shall die; when I shall die is uncertain; 
but if I die in mortal sin I shall be lost for ever." The ad- 
vice of St. Ambrose is: "Imagine yourself as being put into 
the grave, and you will surely turn your eyes from vanity, 
and will be careful not to offend God." 

4. Finally, we should think frequently of death during the 
day. He who is about to go on a great journey carefully pre- 
pares for it. We all shall undertake, some day, the great 
journey into eternity, a journey most important, and on our 



184 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

preparation depends our eternal salvation. Under these cir- 
cumstances, would it not betray short-sightedness and reck- 
lessness on our part, if we were to live at random, unmindful 
of our fate in the hereafter; if we were never to think of 
death, let alone prepare for it? 

A certain German emperor had his coffin made during his 
life. He kept the coffin in his bedroom, and took it along when 
travelling, so as to have this reminder of death always before 
his eyes. Let us, too, often think of death. No matter 
which way we look we are surrounded by tokens of death, 
that remind us that our end, too, will come sooner or later. 
We are reminded of death by every case of death, in our own 
family, in the neighbourhood, or in the parish; we are reminded 
of death by the graveyard, by funeral masses, and by many 
other things. Let us take to heart these warnings. Think- 
ing of death often, we shall be kept from sin and spurred on to 
a virtuous and God-fearing life. 

Our departed brother often thought of death, especially 
in the days of his sickness, and he made so careful a prepara- 
tion as to warrant our hope that his death was a blessed one. 
Let his example induce you to think of death often, especially 
when you rise in the morning, when you retire at night, in 
the hour of temptation, and on other occasions. Ask yourself 
often the question proposed by St. Bernard: "If I should die 
now, would I be prepared?" Live so as you will in your last 
hour wish to have lived. Let us pray now for the departed 
brother. 



LVI 
HOW MAY WE BE SAVED? 

God our Saviour will have all men to be saved (1. Tim. II, 4). 

Whenever a dear and beloved member of a family has de- 
parted, it is the survivors' hope and wish that he has died a 
good death and entered into blessedness, and we are ani- 
mated by the same wish whenever we give the last honours 
to a deceased at the burial of his earthly remains. What better 
could we wish to a deceased than eternal rest and eternal 
peace? But what we wish to the deceased, we also wish to be 
ours in the hour of our own death. Then we shall also wish 
and hope for a blessed death for ourselves, and this is God's 
Will, too. For the Apostle says: "God will have all men to be 
saved." What are we to do, that God's Will and our wish be 
fulfilled? Let us consider this for the benefit of us all. 

1. To become blessed, we shall have to avoid, in the first 
place, everything that would tend to make us wretched 
in the hereafter. What is this? We shall illustrate the 
answer by an example. A pious farmer went into his fields 
after a terrific hailstorm and found all his crops ruined. 
He looked up to heaven, and said: "My Father in heaven, 
this indeed is a calamity; but thanks be to Thee that this 
befalls me rather than mortal sin, which would be even more 
calamitous!" 

Indeed, my brethren, there is but one real calamity, and 
that is sin. Neither poverty, nor sickness, nor distress, will 
close heaven to us, but sin alone. All that which we call 
misfortune we may change by patient endurance into a means 

185 



186 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

for our salvation; sin, however, can never do anything else 
for us but bring about our ruin. Hence, our souls, so dearly 
purchased with the Blood of Jesus Christ, should fear sin 
more than anything else in the world: for he who earnestly 
fears sin need fear nothing else. He need not fear God, 
he need not fear the devil, he need not fear eternity; for sin 
alone it is that makes death bitter, and eternity dreadful. 
Therefore, if you have had the misfortune of falling into mortal 
sin, oh, do not remain in sin ! Become as soon as possible recon- 
ciled to God by sincere penance; consider that death may come 
for you when you least expect. Flee not sin only, but also 
the occasion for sin; for he who loveth danger, shall succumb 
to danger. Think often of the exhortation of St. Peter, 
"For he that will love life [meaning, who desires to be saved], 
let him decline from evil," let him avoid sin and the occasion 
of sin. 

2. "And do good" (1. Peter III, 10). This is the second 
requisite for attaining blessedness: we must practise good 
works; for Christ the eternal Truth Himself says: "Every tree 
that bringeth forth not good fruit, shall be cut down and 
shall be cast into the fire" (Matt. VII, 19). Hence, not 
only the tree (the Christian) that brings forth evil fruit 
(who practises evil works) will be cut down and cast into the 
fire, but also the tree that brings forth no fruit at all, that is 
to say, the Christian who does not do good works nor prac- 
tise Christian virtues. Hence, if it is your earnest wish to 
attain blessedness, then you must practise good works zeal- 
ously and continuously, begin and finish the day with God, 
perform your daily task in the name of God, fulfil conscien- 
tiously your duties, attend divine service often and with de- 
votion, receive frequently the holy Sacraments, lay in store 
treasures for heaven by works of Christian charity, bear 
your daily cross with patience, all for the love of God. 



HOW MAY WE BE SAVED? 187 

3. The third requisite for blessedness is that "through many- 
tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God," as 
says the Apostle (Acts XIV, 21). Christ, our Lord and 
Saviour, has preceded us on the way of the Cross, and has 
gone through suffering to glory, and no other way leads to 
the eternal life than the way of the Cross. "If any man 
will follow me," says the Lord, "let him deny himself, and 
take up his cross and follow me" (Mark VIII, 34), "and 
he that taketh not up his cross and followeth me is not worthy 
of me" (Matt. X, 38). In order not to lose patience in cross 
and suffering, we must bear in mind that our sins have 
merited even a greater punishment than these sufferings; 
we must look up to Jesus crucified, since compared with His 
sufferings ours are insignificant. Finally, we should raise 
our eyes often to heaven; it will be the reward for all those 
suffering in patience for the love of God. Beyond, there 
is no more poverty, no pain, no tears. All afflictions shall 
cease there and be changed into bliss; after brief suffering in 
this life, eternal bliss in heaven. 

This was also the consolation of our departed brother, 
who suffered in patience. Having been reconciled to God in 
his sickness by receiving the holy Sacraments, he offered 
to God the sacrifice of his pains and sufferings as a penance 
for his sins, and so we may hope that he has been saved. We 
all desire to be saved, dear brethren; hence, let us shun sin 
and all occasion for sin, let us practise Christian virtues and 
good works, let us take up our cross patiently and follow Jesus : 
"If we suffer with him, we shall be glorified with him" (Rom. 
VIII, 17). Now let us pray for the deceased. 



LVII 
IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 



"There is but a step between life and death" (1. Kings XX, 3). 

The human heart is always deeply depressed when some- 
one whom we have intimately known is carried away by 
death: this impression is even more profound and painful 
when death comes suddenly and unexpectedly, when we hear 
in the morning of the death of one whom we have seen in 
the best of health only the night before. This was the case 
with our brother, at whose grave we are assembled. He was 
taken suddenly from the bosom of his family, and an instance 
like this brings home to us with great force the truth of the 
words of King David: "But truly, as the Lord liveth and thy 
soul liveth, there is but one step between life and death." 

1. Our life is at all times exposed to death, which is due, in 
the first place, to the frailty of the human body. Our soul and 
body are held together by a weak thread, and our body is 
easily rendered unfit to remain the dwelling of the soul. 
From the moment of our birth, death is our steady though in- 
visible companion, ever near us, in a thousand different 
shapes. 

2. It is also due to the decree of divine justice. Death is 
the gate to the divine judgment: "It is appointed unto men 
once to die, and after this the judgment," says St. Paul (Heb. 
IV, 27). The Lord will often delay this judgment, but speed 
it at other times. No one can of himself prevail before this 
judgment, hence the Eternal God has given a Saviour to 

188 



IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 189 

mankind; but He saves those only who on earth endeavour 
to be saved. For this end every man is allotted the time he 
needs. Many a one makes no use of this time of grace, but 
the Lord is indulgent, until His patience is exhausted, and 
then the tree that bears no fruit is cut down. "Behold, 
now is the acceptable time," says the Apostle, "behold, 
now is the day of salvation" (2. Cor. VI, 2). Our day is 
short, yet long enough to work our salvation; the thief was 
promised Paradise even on the cross. But with death there 
expires the time of grace, the respite for penance is at an end. 
What should all this induce us to do? 

S. We should not postpone our penance and conversion, 
lest death surprise us. "Delay not to be converted to the 
Lord, and defer it not from day to day," counsels the wise 
man, " for his wrath shall come on a sudden and in the time 
of vengeance he will destroy thee" (Ecclus. V, 8). If we were 
all pure and holy, there would be no need of dreading death. 
But since we are sinful it is urgent for us to be reconciled to 
God in the Sacrament of Penance, to enter in union with Christ, 
the Source and Dispenser of all graces, in the Holy Sacrament 
of the Altar, so that, fortified by Him, we may subdue our 
disorderly desires and passions, defeat the attacks of the evil 
one, remain undefiled by the world, walk the path of the divine 
commandments, and persevere in doing good up to the last. 
For only the faithful will receive the crown of life everlasting 
from the hand of the Lord. Hence, let us cling for ever loyally 
to the Lord, because death is threatening us daily. 

Concerning our dear departed brother, we may hope 
that death has not taken him fully unprepared, and that the 
Lord has been a merciful Judge to him. Let us pray for 
him in the spirit of charity. 



LVIII 

IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 

II 

Behold, lift up the eyes and see the countries: for they are white 
already to harvest (John IV, 35). 

Dear brethren, we pray often: "Preserve us, Oh Lord, from 
an evil and wretched death.' ' There is nothing more dread- 
ful than an evil death, because it leads to eternal damnation. 
But a sudden death is not necessarily an evil death. An evil 
death may come very slowly, as, for instance, in the case 
of one who does not pay any heed to God's voice, that warns 
him to do penance. A sudden and instant death may be a 
good and blessed death, if the deceased has held himself 
ready for his summons, and has gathered treasures for heaven 
by a Christian life on earth. In this event he is rich in God, 
and his Saviour will be a merciful Judge to him. Let this be 
said for your consolation in this bereavement. Your father, 
brother, and friend has departed suddenly, has been unex- 
pectedly taken away from his family; yet, if we consider what 
a good and true man he was, a Christian father, a good hus- 
band, a faithful Christian, who was fond of the house where 
he worshipped, who frequently received the holy Sacraments, 
who proved his Christianity by his deeds, and while dying 
received the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, we may hope 
that his death has been a good death, that he has found mercy 
in the eyes of the Lord. Events of this kind are bound to make 
a deep impression upon any heart not entirely devoid of feel- 
ing: they clearly demonstrate how puny we are, how quickly 
our end may come. They call out to us: "Thou art white 
already to harvest," the reaper may mow you down with his 

190 



IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 191 

scythe before you expect it. Let us not disregard this warn- 
ing, let it reach our heart. 

1. When Christ said to His disciples: "Behold, I say to you, 
lift up your eyes and see the countries; for they are white 
already to harvest," he referred to the rich harvest for God's 
kingdom on earth, His Holy Church, for which the Apostles 
were to reap the harvest by preaching His gospel. Yet we 
may construe these words also as applying to the harvest 
reaped by death in all ages of life. Indeed, as the ripe ear of 
corn drops before the reaper, so men will often fall into the 
arms of death before they become aware of it. This truth 
should arouse us from our sleep of security. How indifferent 
man is! That the last day, the last hour, will soon come 
seems to be far from the thought of the many. Hence, man 
unconcernedly gives himself up to his sinful doings. Hearing 
no reproof, seeing no danger, experiencing no evil results, he 
thinks he can safely pursue his life of sin. Even when he 
hears a warning he pays no attention to it, for he thinks there 
is plenty of time to do penance. Oh, foolhardiness of man! 
"They are white already to harvest." May these words 
penetrate your hearts with all their power! God, hitherto 
silent, will testify against thee. Death will come over thee 
like a thief at night, and the day of judgment like a warrior. 
Then thy life is lost, thy respite for penance has elapsed, thou 
art past help, past redemption. Hence, wake up from the 
sleep of sin! There is yet time! Make haste and save thy 
soul! Work out thy salvation with fear and trembling! 

2. The words, "They are white already to harvest," humble 
also our pride. Mortal man is proud of his talents, proud of 
his earthly possessions, proud of earthly vanities. He thinks 
them to be his unpierceable shield, his unassailable castle. 
Thou trustest to thy health and mistakest flesh for thy arm. 
Thou hast a subtle reason, and thinkest thou canst fathom 
everything. Then the Lord meets thee, saying: "They are 



192 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

white already to harvest." Evils soon come over thee, thou 
dost not see them with thy reason, and art powerless to stave 
them off. Thou art like a flower: one gust of wind suffices to 
break it. Soon we shall see thee abed, sick and weak. Earthly 
goods are dust, which the wind scatters. Hence, do not set 
hope in transient riches. Humble thyself before the Lord; 
let Him be thy strength, thy counsel, thy treasure, and thou 
wilt lay a good foundation for the future. This powerful 
God be your comfort, too, my brethren. 

3. The words, "They are white already to harvest,'' should 
encourage us in our faint-heartedness. Thou hast to carry 
heavy burdens, thou hast fought a hard fight, and a fierce 
struggle is yet before thee. Thy courage sinks, the hope for 
victory is fading. Now, then, hear the words of the Lord: 
"They are white already to harvest." Soon there will dawn 
a better time, the hour of delivery will soon strike. The 
goal is nigh, it is almost in sight. Let this revive thy courage, 
let it fortify thy perseverance in the struggle thou art com- 
manded to wage. Brethren, your sorrow will soon change 
into joy; therefore, hope and be cheerful. 

4. The words, "They are white already to harvest," should 
arouse us thus to cheerful hope. The Christian should scatter 
good seed, should lead his fellow-beings to truth, to penance, 
to love. The labour seems in vain. The call to truth, to 
penance, to love, is not heeded. Great is the power of dark- 
ness. But no, the fields are white already to harvest. Before 
long thou wilt see the fruits of justice ripen. Victory will soon 
perch upon the banner of the good cause. What a glorious 
prospect is offered to us ! What sublime hope is tendered to us ! 
Let us work, each in his position and vocation; let us work as 
long as it is day, that we may reap the harvest when the time 
comes. "And in doing good let us not fail, for in due 
time we shall reap, not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). Now let us 
pray for the deceased. 



LIX 
IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 

in 

Watch ye, therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour (Matt. 
XXV, 13). 

If I should call upon you to tell me the day or the hour of 
your own demise, what would your answer be, what could it 
be? Would you not be silent, all of you, and by your silence 
testify to the truth of the words, "you know not the day nor 
the hour"? We know when our parents, friends, neighbours, 
have died; we know how they died; we also know that there 
will dawn for us the day which will be our last on earth, 
that the hour will strike that will be our last on earth, within 
which hour we shall die; but no one amongst us knows on 
what day, in which hour, this will happen. 

We see a sad proof of this truth before us, in the earthly re- 
mains of our departed brother. Before this accident he had 
hardly the slightest idea that he would die so soon, least of 
all, that he would die in so sad a manner. You see, my breth- 
ren, how true are the words of the Lord, "You know not the 
day nor the hour." Death is provided with a hundred tools 
to cut off our life, and has a thousand different ways of reach- 
ing us, while we, alas, have not a single one to escape death. 

If this be so, if of our death we do not know the day nor 
the hour, nor how and in what manner we are to die, what 
must we do? Are we perhaps to figure out the probable length 
of our life? Should we reason perhaps like this: "I am quite 
young, of good health, I am not given to intemperance and 

193 



194 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

immorality, I do not expose myself to danger, my parents and 
grandparents have all reached a very old age; hence, I have a 
long life before me." Indeed not, my brethren; let us not 
figure, let us watch. "Watch ye, therefore," says the Saviour, 
"for you know not the day nor the hour." 

Let us watch like the men who wait for their master when 
he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and 
knocketh, they may open to him immediately, because 
"blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when he cometh, 
shall find watching" (Luke XII, 36, 37). Let us watch like 
the wise virgins, that our lamps may be filled with oil when 
the bridegroom cometh, and we go in with him to the mar- 
riage, the kingdom of glory; lest the door be shut to us, as 
it was shut to the foolish virgins, with the terrible words: 
"I know you not." Let us watch like the good householder, 
who does not know the hour of night when the thief may come, 
so that we be prepared for the thief at any time, that we may 
appear before the eternal Judge with hope and confidence. 

But, alas, who of us is watching in this manner? Who of 
us is prepared at any hour, at any moment, for the coming 
of the Lord? Whose soul is in a condition that he need not 
be frightened if death should suddenly come for him? 

A glance at the life led by many Christians makes it mani- 
fest that many are not watching for the coming of the Lord. 

For instance, is he watching for death who from early morn 
till late at night has no other thought but, "What shall we 
eat, or what shall we drink, wherewith shall we be clothed?" 
and all day long never gives a passing thought to the salvation 
of his immortal soul? Is he watching and prepared for death 
who carries in his heart, not only for weeks, but for months, 
aye, for years, the filth of sin, and never takes pains to drop 
his bad habits, to atone for his sins, to reform his life? Is he 
watching and preparing for the coming of death who reck- 



IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 195 

lessly courts any occasion for sin, who gives free rein to his 
passions? 

Dear brethren, this is not watching and preparing for death; 
this means downright f oolhardiness — this manner of living 
as if man were created for this world only and had never to 
fear death. Let us not deceive ourselves any longer, let us 
not dare to continue in a condition of the soul which we would 
rue in the moment of death. Let us shape our life so that 
we may be able to appear at any moment before the judgment 
seat of God with hope and confidence. Then, whenever 
death may come, early or late, expected or unexpected, it will 
not find us sleeping and unprepared; therefore it will not be 
an evil death, but a good death, leading us to fife everlasting. 

To give thought now to our departed brother, let us pray 
for him in the spirit of Christian charity and let us not judge 
him. Of course, it is most sad, for some even a calamity, to 
be thus surprised by death, to be suddenly placed before the 
judgment of the Lord; yet we cannot look into the heart of 
anyone, we must be confident that a merciful God has a wise 
and loving purpose, even when He allows a man to die sud- 
denly. We are all sinners, and should not judge our fellow- 
men. "Judge not, and you shall not be judged," says the 
Saviour. To judge is the privilege of God, to pray is our 
privilege. Therefore let us pray for the deceased. 



LX 
IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 

IV 

Man knoweth not his own end, but as fishes are taken with the hook, 
and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time, 
when it shall come suddenly upon them (Eccl. IX, 12). 

Hale and hearty, in the full vigour of life, we saw him 
but a few days ago, my friends, and now we behold him in his 
grave, slain by a sudden death. Who could have told him 
even on his last day on earth: "The time of thy pilgrimage here 
below will be ended, ere this day is passed"? Without even 
a feeling of indisposition he left his home, attended to his 
business in the usual way, but, behold, in the evening he was 
suddenly stricken, and, alas, death claimed him within a few 
hours. WTiat a terrible blow for his wife and children! In 
him the word of Holy Writ has been fulfilled: "Man knoweth 
not his own end, but as fishes are taken with the hook, 
and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in 
the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them." 

What a crushing demonstration of our nothingness and 
frailty! Our thoughts involuntarily turn to the end that 
soon, very soon, is to come to all of us. We learn to bow 
before Him, of whom King David sings: "Thou takest 
away their breath, they die, and return to their dust." What 
are we, who are often so proud of our strength, of our money, 
so full of self-reliance, without considering that all flesh is 
as grass and all glory of man as the flower that withers? What 
are we, pray, to put off to a distant time the most important 

196 



IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 197 

business of our life, without considering there is but one 
step between us and death? Indeed, only a little step, but 
great in importance, and we must realize: "It is a fearful 
thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. X, 31). 

What are we, pray, to scheme and plan incessantly how to 
make our earthly fortune, but to banish all thoughts of death, 
of eternity and judgment, and forget the injunction of the 
Lord: "Watch ye, therefore, because you know not what hour 
your Lord will come" (Matt. XXIV, 42)? A sudden death 
is not always an evil death; a sudden death is a good death 
if the soul is in grace, if remission of sins has been found, and 
the peace of God acquired, by the worthy reception of the 
Sacraments. In this way we are ever ready, ever prepared 
to return home; and whenever the Lord may call us, we may 
say: "Come, Oh Lord, I am waiting for thy salvation." But 
woe unto us if death should take us unprepared; if we have 
not done penance during our life; if we have failed, like the 
foolish virgins, to provide oil for our lamps, to wit, meritori- 
ous works which will be put to our credit on the day of reck- 
oning ! What terror would then strike us at the judgment ! 
What a dreadful fate would then befall us for all eternity! 
God save us from such an evil, from such a sudden death! 

A single moment will often determine our eternal woe or 
eternal bliss. Our departed brother has led a good life, as 
we are all aware. He was a devoted and loving husband and 
father, faithful in performing the duties of his vocation, sup- 
porting and promoting to the best of his ability all that is 
good. He was regular in attending the divine service, and 
came often to the holy table of the Lord. Hence, we may hope 
that God, who is gracious and whose mercy endureth for ever, 
will be to him a merciful Judge, and receive him into His 
kingdom. 

Oh Lord, let this soul be commended to Thee, and grant 



198 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

him life everlasting and the joy and bliss of Thy kingdom. 
Give also comfort to the bereaved family, and let them real- 
ize that Thou hast decreed the death of their husband and 
father in Thy inscrutable Wisdom. Take them under Thy 
guardianship and Thy protection, and grant them that in 
due time they will meet the departed in Thy kingdom and 
in the sight of Thee! 

May this sudden death be a solemn warning to all of us, to 
work out our salvation with fear and trembling, to be free 
from sin, to practise good works, and to bear in mind the words : 
"Watch ye, therefore, because you know not when the Lord 
will come." Yes, let us watch ! Let us watch over our heart 
in its thoughts, desires, and inclinations; let us watch over 
our words, over our ways, that we may be ready when our 
hour strikes to depart peacefully. Let us watch: for "blessed 
is that servant, whom, when his lord shall come, he shall find 
so doing" (Matt. XXIV, 46), and let us pray lest we fall into 
temptation. Let us pray for the deceased that the Lord 
may receive him into His kingdom. 



LXI 
IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 



/ grieve for thee, my brother Jonathan (2. Kings I, 26). 

With this lamentation King David mourned the death of 
his friend, Jonathan, the son of Saul. "I grieve for thee" is 
also our mournful plaint at the coffin of our dead friend. 
Unexpectedly soon came his death; only a few days ago he 
was active in business, passing his last evening with his family 
in seemingly the best of health, yet he expired that very night. 
Oh, what sad change! But let us bow to the Lord, who 
"killeth and maketh alive, bringeth down to hell and bringeth 
back again, who maketh poor and maketh rich, who humbleth 
and exalteth" (1. Kings II, 6, 7). He who is now sleeping 
the sleep of death had no idea that he would have to depart 
so soon, he had no time for special preparation for his step 
into eternity. True, he was always guided by the word of 
the Lord: "By what doth a young man correct his way? by 
observing thy words" (Ps. CXVIII, 9). True, he did com- 
pass the altar of the Lord, where the voice of his praise is heard, 
and all of his wondrous works are told (Ps. XXV, 6, 7). 
True, he regularly received the holy Sacraments, and his 
heart was inclined for everything good; true, also, that "man 
knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred" (Eccl. 
IX, 1). Yet we may hope that the Lord has been a merciful 
Judge to him, but we must not fail to recommend him to the 
grace of God, to-day and often hereafter. But if even youth 
is stricken down suddenly, if the young man at the very in- 

199 



200 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ception of life has no firm foothold, what can we expect 
in the middle of life, what can those expect well on in 
years? Our foothold is far more uncertain than that of 
youth; we are far more likely to be stricken by a sudden death. 
"We grieve for thee," thus speak his bereaved parents, but 
it is their good fortune to add, "in him we were well pleased." 
Many a hardship is suffered till the child and boy grows to 
be a young man. Many a sacrifice they made, many an hour 
of sleep lost, many things they denied themselves for his sake. 
But they tasted the joy of seeing their pains rewarded, their 
work crowned. It is distressingly sad to be despoiled of all 
this joy with one cruel blow. The deceased was a grateful and 
obedient son, fond of his parents, loyally helping his father 
in his business, and his earnest aim was to become a good and 
useful member of society. Now this good son has been sud- 
denly taken from his parents, who were so well pleased in 
him, and who had all reason to expect of him support and joy 
in days to come. Hence their tears, hence their plaint: "I 
grieve for thee." They have lost much, yet they hope that 
the son has gained rather than lost, that he has found grace 
before the eyes of the Lord. "We grieve for thee," say his 
brothers and sisters, with whom he was united by the bond 
of tender love. "We grieve for thee," comes from the lips 
of his companions, and their souls are mournful because of 
his sudden death. "We grieve for thee," is the parting word 
of all of us, yet we shall not argue with the Lord, whose ways 
are inscrutable, and we hope that he has entered upon his 
heavenly inheritance. It behooves us to profit by this death, 
taking at heart the words of the Saviour: "Be you then also 
ready: for at what hour you think not the Son of Man will 
come" (Luke XII, 40). Let us pray for the deceased. 



LXII 

IN CASES OF SUDDEN DEATH 

VI 

To all of us death will come, but we do not know in what 
shape it will come. It may be likened to a storm cloud in the 
far distance, about which we are uncertain whether it is 
coming our way or not, until it suddenly overwhelms us with 
darkness and disaster. Death often comes like a bolt from 
the blue sky. At other times death comes like an angel of 
peace, brightening the features of the dying with an expression 
of eternal bliss. Often death comes as a messenger of doom, 
and the torments of hell begin already when the departing 
soul writhes in the agony of death. Then, again, death steps 
in gently, the dying person remaining conscious to his last 
moment, blessing and comforting the dear ones that surround 
his bed. Sometimes the reason is dulled, the senses are 
impaired. This was the manner of death which the Lord 
sent to our brother at whose grave we are assembled. Who 
amongst us can know what manner of death he will die? 
Indeed, we have every cause to pray with David: "Keep 
thou my soul and deliver me; I shall not be ashamed, for 
I have hoped in thee" (Ps. XXIV, 20). But what are we to 
say of a death in unconsciousness? 

1. For the righteous such a death is not a misfortune. 
True, it is a sad death, without prayer, without comfort, 
preparation, yet our salvation does not directly depend upon 
the manner of our death, but upon our belief and virtue; 
for the Saviour said: "He that belie veth in me hath everlast- 

201 



202 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ing life" (John VI, 47), and St. Paul says: "Godliness is 
profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is 
and of that which is to come." 

2. The case is different with a man who could not be moved 
to do penance, either by the kindness or the wrath of God. 
A man who abused God's patience and forbearance, em- 
ployed his talents in the service of sin, who carelessly post- 
poned his conversion, for him to die unconscious is a ca- 
lamity, for "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the 
living God" (Heb. X, 31). 

3. This is a solemn call to all of us to avoid sin and to 
strive after justice and virtue. It is often impossible to 
prepare for a good death in the last hour; hence, be watchful 
and work out the salvation of your soul in your days of 
health. There is but one step between life and death, and 
our manner of death is veiled in mystery. Let us, therefore, 
live so that death at any time may lead us to the Lord, that 
our end may be a blessed one, whether we pass through the 
gate of death conscious or unconscious. We shall now pray 
for the deceased. 



LXIII 
IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 



7/ we suffer we shall also reign with him (2. Tim. II, 12). 

Great and manifold are the sufferings and adversities 
man is exposed to while he walks on this earth. But great 
and glorious are the promises that the faith holds out to him 
who accepts the sufferings and tribulations of life devoutly, 
and bears them patiently for the love of God. Of all these 
promises I shall select a single one, here at the grave of our 
brother who is now delivered from all his sufferings, and I 
shall offer for your consideration the promise contained in our 
text: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." This means, 
if we suffer with the resignation and meekness of Jesus; 
if we suffer with the patience with which Christ suffered, when 
false witnesses accused Him, when they mocked and blas- 
phemed Him and pronounced an outrageous death-sentence 
upon Him. If we suffer with the courage of Jesus, who was 
obedient unto the death on the Cross, and persevered amidst 
the most intense pains until all was finished, then we shall, 
in the hereafter, also reign with Him, and shall share His 
glory for ever. 

This, my brethren, is the divine promise for the devout 
sufferer. Tell me, could any better promise be made him? 
What else could better give him the courage and strength 
to bear even the greatest sufferings with patience and resig- 
nation, than the prospect of the great reward promised to 
those who persevere to the last in virtue? Think of it, my 

203 



204 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

friends, the Christian sufferer is to reign with Jesus, the Son 
of God. He is to share in the glory and beatitude of the Son 
of God, sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven, 
magnificent beyond all comprehension. Think of it, he is 
promised this abundant reward, if he only endures the brief 
sufferings of this pilgrimage devoutly, patiently, and courage- 
ously, following the example of Jesus, his Lord and Redeemer. 
He who firmly believes in this promise, who never loses sight 
of this glorious reward, will never complain when visited by 
the Lord with cross, and affliction; he will rejoice in his distress, 
because of the opportunity it affords him to merit the great 
and esteemed honour, once to reign with Christ, his Lord and 
Saviour. "If we suffer we also shall reign with him." 

Hence, you who suffer and are afflicted, do not forget that 
a great and glorious reward is promised to you, if you will 
only bear your sorrows with meekness and patience accord- 
ing to the example of Jesus. Therefore in all your troubles 
look up to Jesus as your sublime Model, and follow in His 
steps. Suffer and endure like Him, with devotion, with meek- 
ness and patience. Then you shall once reign with Jesus, and 
be His companion in the glory and bliss of heaven. 

We hope that our departed brother is sharing this honour 
and bliss. His measure of sorrow was no small one, espe- 
cially was his last sickness a painful and protracted one, but 
he always suffered and endured like a good Christian, accord- 
ing to Christ's wish and example. Hence, we have good rea- 
son to hope that now he is reigning with Christ and rejoicing 
with Christ. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." 
Let us pray. 



LXIV 
IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 

II 

Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my 
disciple (Luke XIV, 27). 

Our divine Saviour did not come to earth in quest of joy 
and comfort, and while He might have remained in glory, He 
chose the Cross. And He took up a heavy Cross, a Cross of 
humiliation, of ignominy and great suffering. He carried it 
in obedience and love, and died upon it. 

It is this cross-bearing Jesus who calls out to us, "Who- 
soever wants to be my disciple, must take up his cross and 
follow me." Thus two things are demanded of us — first, 
to take up the cross, and then, to follow the Lord. Merely 
to accept the cross and carry it does not make a true disciple 
of Jesus. Suffering is the unavoidable fate of all men. But 
to follow with the cross our divine Lord and Master, this is 
the mark of the true Christian. What mortal man, indeed, 
is exempt from the adversities of life? They will befall the 
virtuous and the wicked alike, the faithful and the godless; 
no one can escape them, they are part and parcel of human 
nature. It is a different matter to put up with adversities 
because they must be endured, or to accept them with hu- 
mility as a trial sent by a kind and loving God. To bear the 
cross with murmuring and grumbling — or to humble our- 
selves at the hand of God, and to learn from the Cross to be 
patient and confident, to despise the world and to acquire 
merit for heaven. This is meant by following the Lord, 
bearing the Cross. 

205 



206 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Of our departed sister, at whose grave we are assembled, 
it may well be said that she has borne a heavy cross. She 
has enjoyed but few days of health, whereas for years she has 
almost continuously been chained to her sick-bed and had 
to suffer great pain. But she suffered in patience. Renounc- 
ing any hope for a happy life on earth, she rested her hopes 
in a better life, whereof it is written: "Blessed are they that 
mourn, for they shall be comforted." Now her sufferings 
are at an end. When the days of her trial were full, God re- 
lieved her of her cross by sending death to her. He summoned 
her soul, and if, as we hope, she has found grace before His 
eyes, then this body which we are consigning to the earth will 
be resurrected to glory on the day of judgment, the corruptible 
will be changed into incorruption, and that which has been 
frail and perishable will be changed into everlasting glory. 

This is the promise that Jesus left to those that are His. 
This is the reward for the cross borne with patience. If any- 
one of those who, having carried their cross and followed 
Jesus in their earthly life, are now reigning with Him, could 
talk to us, what would he say? He would say: No better 
proof of His love has God given to me than when He visited 
me with adversity. My seeming desolation proved to be my 
salvation. My cross has brought me into heaven. If I had 
not been reminded so forcibly that all earthly things are per- 
ishable, I might have lost my immortal soul. Had my days 
been always happy, without struggle, toil, and pain, the day 
of eternal bliss might never have dawned for me. 

Thus would speak to us the voice from the mansion of 
blessedness, but we do not need to be thus told. The Holy 
Ghost has taught this in the Holy Scriptures, and this grave 
reminds us of the words of the Apostle: "The sufferings of 
this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to 
come, that shall be revealed in us." Let us pray now for the 
deceased. 



LXV 
IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 

HI 

The sufferings of this time are not worthy to he compared with the 
glory to come, that shall be revealed in us (Rom. VIII, 18). 

There are a thousand different ways leading to death, and 
all of us are on the way to the grave, which we are certain to 
reach some day. And the ways are of various kinds — rough 
and thorny for some, smooth and easy for others. There are 
those who die a death almost without pain; others die in 
great agony, after prolonged and intense suffering. The wish 
is quite pardonable, even for the sake of those near us, to 
be spared the pains and agony of a prolonged sickness before 
death. Yet the heavenly Father means our best when He 
makes us go through sickness before calling us home, and to 
many a person sickness has become a time of victory and 
blessing. This thought suggests itself when we stand at the 
grave of a woman who in her long sickness was enabled to lay 
up treasures for heaven by enduring her suffering in patience. 
In all her suffering she was mindful of the promised great 
reward, and she said, with the Apostle: "The sufferings of 
this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to 
come, that shall be revealed in us." She found in these words 
her comfort. And her family are comforted by the thought 
that she has entered the glory she so ardently desired. If, 
to-day or to-morrow, tribulations and distress shall befall 
us, if we are taken sick, let us also always bear in mind the 

207 



208 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

words: "The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be 
compared with the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us." 

Men are often influenced in their worldly actions by the 
hope of an ample reward, and it sweetens all effort; this we 
see any day. They will undergo and do almost anything for 
a great reward. "The hope for a reward is our comfort in 
our work," says St. Augustine. 

If then the expectation of even a temporal reward eases the 
burden of this life and sweetens its bitterness, what a powerful 
influence should be exerted upon us by the hope for an eternal 
reward! What a consolation this hope is in trouble and dis- 
tress! How it encourages us to endure all adversities with 
patience! What amount of exertion can equal a reward that 
has no end? If we submit to great hardships for the sake of 
a vain and transient gain or enjoyment, how much more 
willing should we be to suffer and thus merit the everlasting 
and indestructible crown of heavenly bliss ! With this reward 
in view all toil will be easy for us, all troubles of small im- 
port, all sufferings will seem brief and insignificant. 

In the Babylonian captivity many Jews were wont to wear 
a ring on a finger of their right hand with the name Jeru- 
salem inscribed thereon: from the sight of this ring they 
derived comfort in the remembrance of Jerusalem. We, too, 
are living in a strange country, under many hardships. If the 
Jews were comforted in their adversity by the very thought 
of their city of Jerusalem, tell me, should we not find infi- 
nitely greater comfort in our adversities by the thought of the 
heavenly Jerusalem, God's eternal city? His chosen people 
will there enjoy a joy everlasting and past all comprehension! 
Let this thought console us also. 

We hope that our departed friend has entered into the joy 
of the Lord. Let us be consoled by this thought, also, when- 
ever our lot is an unhappy one, in trials and adversities, on 



IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 209 

our way of the cross that we have to walk. Let us think, then, 
of the glory to be revealed in us if we persevere in patience and 
devotion to the last. Would that all could say at the end of 
their life, with the Apostle: "I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith: as to the rest 
there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the 
just judge, will render to me in that day" (2. Tim. IV, 7, 8). 



LXVI 
IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 

IV 

The Lord hath delivered me from every evil work and will preserve 
me unto his heavenly kingdom (2. Tim. IV, 18). 

My dear friends, our departed brother, whose earthly re- 
mains we have just consigned to the earth, might have fully 
subscribed to the words of the Apostle which we are taking 
for our text; for during his pilgrimage on earth he has borne 
many pains and tribulations, and he suffered especially in 
his last sickness most intense pains. From these the Lord 
has now graciously delivered him, and, so we may hope, has 
admitted him into His kingdom. He was not afraid to die, 
he even wished for death as a deliverance from all evil, be- 
cause he was confident of being received into the joy of the 
Lord. The hour of death will come for all of us, my brethren, 
and it usually comes sooner than expected. 

Shall we also be able to die in hope? Will death deliver 
us from every evil, or deliver us to an infinitely greater evil? 
I say in answer: Only a blessed death delivers from all hard- 
ships and sufferings. 

What is a blessed death? Having in mind the example of 
the penitent thief, people often think it is sufficient to make 
good use of the last moments of life, to receive the last rites, 
and they rely on a death-bed conversion. Nothing is more 
perilous for the salvation of the soul than this mistaken opin- 
ion; it lulls the conscience to sleep, gives us a feeling of false 
security, makes us careless, and lets us remain in sin in the 

210 



IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 211 

expectation to turn to God an hour or two before death. But 
tell me, pray, what are we to think of a Christian who ignores 
religion in the days of his health, and will serve the Lord 
only in days of sickness? What are we to think of one who 
will serve the world, the devil, and the flesh as long as he is 
vigorous, and who will devote his life to God only when he 
can no longer serve the devil? Does he know whether the 
Lord will give him the time, or call him without notice? Does 
he know whether he will be able when sick to collect his 
thoughts? Does he know whether he will be granted the 
strength and grace to be converted? To become reconciled 
to God will be no easy task for one who has lived a life of in- 
difference and sin, who has grown old in the service of sin. 

It is good and necessary to seek in the last hours the grace 
of God, to receive the holy Sacraments with a penitent heart, 
and to pray much, it may even for a penitent sinner insure a 
blessed death: but, to possess hope and comfort, one must be 
able to say, with the Apostle: "I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept my faith: as to the rest 
there is laid up for me a crown of justice which the Lord, the 
just judge, will render to me in that day" (3. Tim. IV, 7, 8). 
To die a blessed death we should have proved our faith by good 
works, avoided sin, and atoned for the sins committed. We 
must have been tried and not found wanting in patience and 
in everything good. Then we can, at our death, say with the 
Apostle: "The Lord has delivered me from every evil work 
and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." 

Such a blessed death delivers us from the struggles forced 
upon us by our sinful inclinations and passions, from all evils 
that follow sin, and also from the toil and labour of this earth, 
from all worry and want, from hardships, suffering, and ad- 
versities of this life. "Blessed are the dead, who die in the 
Lord. From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may 



212 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

rest from their labours: for their works follow them" (Apoc. 
XIV, 13). "And God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes; and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, 
nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed 
away" (Apoc. XXI, 4). And "eye hath not seen, nor ear 
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what 
things God has prepared for them that love him" (1. Cor. II, 
9). "Therefore shall they receive a kingdom of glory and a 
crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord" (Wisd. V, 17). 

Dear brethren, let us take these words to heart and act 
accordingly. We all wish to die well, to be delivered by a 
blessed death from all troubles and sufferings, and to enter 
the kingdom of heaven. Let us therefore flee sin, let us fight 
the good fight, to conquer evil, to be tried and proved in 
virtue, for no one is crowned who is not worthy; and "he 
that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved" (Matt. 
XXIV, 13). We hope that our departed brother has received 
the crown, but let us pray. 



LXVII 
IN CASES OF GREAT SUFFERING 



I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of 
affliction (Jeb. XXIX, 11). 

My friends, if anything can alleviate your sorrow in the 
loss you have suffered by the Lord's Will, it is the recourse to 
the God of Love, to whom we all must submit in childlike 
devotion and humility, even if His ways and directions cause 
us suffering; because we know by His own words that He has 
only thoughts of mercy for us, albeit we do not understand 
His dispositions, and they sometimes cause us grief. A thought 
that should also help to mitigate your grief is the thought 
that the departed has been delivered from the long and great 
suffering which his sickness caused him. It was the example 
of his suffering Saviour and His grace, that gave courage and 
hope to your husband and father. He frequently received 
his Saviour in the Most Holy Sacrament, and thus he suc- 
ceeded in preserving his patience, in the hope that those who 
suffer with the Saviour shall also be glorified with Him. The 
time arrived for his delivery, and, so we hope, also the time 
for his glorification. No longer does he suffer: he has found 
that peace that cannot be had in this life. Though it is but 
natural that you should mourn for him, you should feel, on 
the other hand, that the Lord has done well, and you must 
accept His holy Will in humility. 

While the thought that your husband and father is suffer- 
ing no longer should console you in your grief and sorrow, 
you will derive comfort also in the thought of having nursed 

213 



214 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

him with loyal and untiring love throughout the days of his 
long sickness. You may truthfully say that you have left 
nothing within your power undone for the dear departed. 
Hence, while you are mourning, you have the comforting 
consciousness of having performed faithfully your duty of 
love towards the deceased, who, in his turn, has been ever 
intent on your welfare. 

The thought of having lost the one who has cared and pro- 
vided for you may cause you anxiety. But excessive worry 
should be foreign to the mind of the pious Christian: it is in- 
compatible with the faith. It must give way to a childlike 
confidence in the God of Love, who never will forsake those 
that are His. He is the counsellor of widows, the father of 
orphans, the refuge and help for all that are in distress. Hence, 
turn to Him in prayer and supplication, commend to Him 
all your ways, put in Him your hope, for He will surely care 
for those who belong to Him. 

Well, then, my dear friends, here, at the grave of your be- 
loved father, surrounding your afflicted mother, whose only 
hope rests upon God and in her children, enter into a covenant 
of brotherly and sisterly love. Join hands over the earthly 
remains of the dear departed with the pledge: We will serve 
the Lord in cordial unity, in love and peace; we will be the 
comfort and joy of our mother; we will honour the memory 
of our dear father by transferring to her our whole and undi- 
vided love, by sweetening and cheering her years by our in- 
dustry and thrift, by obedience and a Christian life. This will 
aid your mother in overcoming her sorrows and cares, and 
God's blessing will descend upon such a covenant of love 
made by God-fearing children. We all shall pray for you, 
and with you, that the blessing of the Lord be with you all. 
May the merciful God, who has recalled our brother in Christ, 
grant him heavenly peace and eternal joy for the sake of 
Christ! Let us pray. 



LXVIII 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 



Why make you this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but 
sleepeth (Mark V, 39). 

The Lord entered the house of mourning, went to the bier 
of the girl, and spoke the comforting words: "Why make you 
this ado and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth." 
And then He commanded her soul to come back to the body, 
and she arose from death. The Lord no longer walks visibly 
amongst us. He does no longer recall our dead to the life 
in the body, but He does give life, even in our time, to those 
who belong to Him. Your child belonged to Him, dear 
parents, for you conveyed the child to Him as His property 
at its Baptism, and thus on this day He speaks to you also 
the words of comfort: "Why do you weep? The child is not 
dead, but sleepeth." Listen to the words Jesus speaks to 
mourning parents, and take them to heart. 

1. He asks: "Why do you weep?" The answer is soon 
found: "Oh Lord, we weep because our child is dead, the 
child we have loved so dearly, who has been our joy and hope." 
But do you suppose the Lord is loving your child less than you 
do? Has He not shed His precious Blood for your child, too, 
that it be with Him in blessedness, with the angels and Saints 
of God? Because He loves it with a greater love than yours, 
because He knows better than you what is best for the child, 
therefore He has taken it. Nor does He love you any less 
because He did this, as will become manifest to you if you 

215 



216 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

will realize that this way of sorrow is also a way to salvation, 
to heaven, where all questions will be solved for you. Would 
you doubt His love because of a loss that really is no loss at 
all? Then you would not love Him with that genuine and 
pure love which is revealed in its full glory only in the days 
of trials. If you answer: "Our child is dead, why should we 
not weep?" He tells you: "You should not, because — 

2. "the damsel is not dead." Of course, if you look at the 
body, the frame, then indeed she is dead; but the soul, the 
real being, is not dead. The soul does not cease to live after 
death; it is received through Christ into a blessed life above, 
in heaven, where there is no sorrow, no sin, no sickness, to 
all of which your child would have remained subject if left 
to complete its life on earth. Your child is not dead, my 
friends; you have a child in heaven, where it continues to 
love you, and where you may continue to love it, and in time, 
when your own hour has arrived, your child, now a blessed 
spirit, will welcome you in heaven, where the Lord gives 
joy and bliss everlasting to those who have been faithful. 
No one can tear us from God's hand, nor can death tear your 
child from out of His hand; quite the contrary, death led your 
child to the abode of the Lord. How glorious and blessed is 
the Christian faith, that offers such comfort to those who die 
and to those who survive! No, your child is not dead, says 
the Lord, 

3. It sleepeth. The body sleepeth, but the soul of your 
child does not sleep; it is active and growing in glorious knowl- 
edge and blessedness. Because men are prone to cling to the 
visible, to the body, especially in the case of death of a dear 
person, therefore the Lord consoles us and tells us with refer- 
ence to the body that the damsel sleepeth. Where there is 
sleep, there will be an awakening, and there will be an awak- 
ening for the body on the day of judgment, when the Lord 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 217 

will give us a beautiful, glorified body, imperishable and trans- 
figured. Oh, do not disturb this sweet sleep of your child 
by too violent grief and loud complaint. In its grave it will 
lie as in a cradle, and God's angels will watch, until it will come 
forth to join its beautiful soul in never-ending happiness. 
Sleep, then, beloved child! Soon we, too, shall he down to 
the sleep of death. Let us hope and pray that our awakening 
may be joyful, that our resurrection be a resurrection to ever- 
lasting blissful life. Amen. 



LXIX 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

II 

The souls of the just are in the hand of God and the torment of death 
shall not touch them (Wisd. HI, 1). 

It was your sad fate, my dear parents, to witness the suffer- 
ings and death of a beloved child and to lay it to rest in the 
grave. Yours have been countless hours of anguish and sor- 
row, untold bitter tears and sighs. You are in need of com- 
fort, real comfort, and you can only find real comfort in the 
Lord. The words of Solomon, "The souls of the just are in 
the hand of God and the torment of death shall not touch 
them," should turn your eyes to the present happy state of 
your child, and show you how blessed it is. These words of 
wisdom give you three reasons why you should be comforted 
in your bereavement: 

1. You must be consoled because you know your child's 
soul is just, and it is now with God, enjoying the happiness 
of heaven. It cannot be said of all who die, that their souls 
are just, for the life of many is stained with sin; but such is 
not the case with infants cleansed in Baptism from original 
sin, for there is no guilt in them. It must be a great comfort 
for parents to know that their children are in heaven, gone 
there in the stage of innocence, undefined by sin, gone there to 
their divine Friend, who promised them the kingdom and 
manifested His great love for them when He was on earth. 

2. The fact that should chiefly comfort you in the death of 
your child is, therefore, to know that its soul is with God. It 

218 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 219 

has returned to Him, who had given it to you, whose property- 
it is, to its Father in heaven. Why should not parents cheer- 
fully return their children to God, when their own chief 
purpose of life is to go to Him, where they hope to meet their 
children in joy and everlasting bliss? What you could not 
give them, God will give them, namely, sanctification and 
perfection. 

3. Finally, there must comfort you, in the loss of your child, 
the knowledge that no torment shall ever touch its soul. 
Earthly life and suffering are two things that cannot be sep- 
arated. By an early death God delivers young children from 
all earthly suffering, and takes them into the kingdom where 
no tears are ever shed, no pains ever felt. The happy fate 
of such children is assured, whereas the future of a living 
child will cause anxiety and worry to parents. Hence, such an 
early death is not a loss, but a profit for the child. Pain is 
the part only of the survivors, the pain of parting, but this 
pain is soothed by the love which does not begrudge the happy 
fate to the departed, and by faith which elevates us above the 
world to the glory of heaven and fills us with hope. Hence, 
let us bow to God's holy Will; let the assurance comfort you 
that your child is in heaven, and rejoice in the thought of a 
happy meeting there. But lest this hope be confounded, be 
careful of your own salvation, and walk the way of His com- 
mandments every day of your life; for only "The just shall 
live for evermore, and their reward is with the Lord and the 
care of them with the most High. Therefore shall they re- 
ceive a kingdom of glory and a crown of beauty at the hand 
of the Lord" (Wisd. V, 16, 17). Amen. 



LXX 

FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

III 

The children of thy servants shall continue (Ps. CI, 29). 

Death will knock as well at the door of the rich man's man- 
sion as at the door of the beggar. Death spares neither old 
age nor youth, neither talent nor power; death is the ultimate 
victor, the foe of all life. Oh, Death, what a fearful tribute 
of tears and sighs dost thou exact from the children of man! 
What a heartrending grief dost thou inflict upon parents 
when snatching the beloved child from their arms! Then 
they weep and wail: "Why must it die prematurely?" And 
yet, my dear friends, a premature death is not necessarily an 
evil. 

"Happy thou, to die so prematurely," we may well say to 
an infant that dies within the first years of his birth, after 
having been cleansed in Baptism from original sin, and born 
anew as a child of God. Though these infants will not attain 
the high degree of beatitude that is the portion of those who 
die a blessed death after a life of toil, suffering, and struggle, 
yet they will rejoice eternally in heaven, and join in the praise 
of their Redeemer. "The children of thy servants shall con- 
tinue," says the Psalmist. 

Happier still are those children who die young, but after 
having learned to know Jesus Christ and to love Him. 
They die untouched by the poisonous breath of sin, united 
with Christ in Holy Communion, and thus death is for them a 

220 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 221 

matter for rejoicing; for such pure and innocent souls will 
dwell with the Lord in eternal beatitude. 

An even happier lot is in store for young men and maidens 
who, though surrounded by evil example, and tempted by the 
blandishments of sin and desires, succeeded in preserving 
body and soul pure and undefiled. Theirs will not only be 
the beatitude of the innocents, but also the crown of victory 
reserved for confessors. 

In such cases of death we may exclaim: "Happy thou who 
diest so soon!" For they have escaped the worst, and gained 
the best. They have escaped a multitude of worries and suf- 
ferings that in this life would have been in store for them; nay, 
more, they are safe from all dangers to their salvation. At 
their graves we should weep tears of joy, indeed, and praise 
the Lord for having been merciful and received into Paradise 
these beautiful, tender blossoms, which in the uncertain soil of 
this world would be in peril of being destroyed by the frost of 
indifference, of being killed by the storms of the passions. 

Hence, a premature death may often be a great blessing. 
An early death will, however, be a great calamity for him who, 
whether old or young, should die unrepenting, after a life of 
sin. Holy Writ says: "The death of the wicked is very evil: 
when the wicked man is dead, there shall be no hope any 
more" (Ps. XXXIII, 22; Prov. XI, 7); and the Lord will 
command: "The unprofitable servant cast ye out into the 
exterior darkness . . . there shall be weeping and gnashing 
of teeth" (Matt. XXV, 30). 

Whether any of us die early or late is not of chief importance; 
the main consideration is that he dies a good and blessed 
death. Hence, I say to you: be ready for a good death, lead 
a Christian and God-fearing life. Here, at this grave, I wish 
to warn you to take this main consideration to heart. Lead 
a pious and good life, you children! Lead a pious and Chris- 



222 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

tian life, you young men and women! God often summons us 
in the prime of life. Lead a pious and Christian life, you 
fathers and mothers! You have to give account not only of 
your own doings, but of the doings of your children. Lead a 
pious and Christian life, whether old or young, rich or poor, 
healthy or frail. Remember the words of Holy Writ: "In 
all thy works remember thy last end and thou shalt never 
sin." Amen. 



LXXI 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

IV 

Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business? (Luke 

n, 49). 

We are laying to rest a tender flower, prematurely broken 
by death, but transplanted to a better soil, to blossom forth 
more gloriously, to unfold into a more perfect flower. The 
parents are grief -stricken: for children are precious possessions, 
attached to the parents' hearts by the bonds of blood and love. 
What can I say to comfort you in your desolation? What else 
but: Turn to the Lord. I am reminded of the words which 
Jesus spoke to His Mother when, after three days of seeking, 
she found Him in the temple in the midst of the doctors. 
He said to her: "Did you not know that I must be about my 
Father's business? " These same words are now spoken to you 
from the heights of heaven by the soul of your child. 

"Did you not know? " your child is asking. You are Chris- 
tians, raised in the doctrine of the faith; hence, know you not 
that the soul does not perish in death? Did you not know that 
the kingdom of heaven is also destined for children; that they, 
too, are heirs of blessedness? Did you not know, to die is to 
gain, especially for those called away while still in childish in- 
nocence, untouched by the sorrow of sin? Did you not know 
that this soul is not lost to you, that it shall be returned to 
you in joy and bliss? Indeed, you must know it; hence, bear 
it in mind, and do not grieve. 

A higher duty had kept the Saviour in the temple; even as 

223 



224 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

a child He must be about His Father's business. We, too, 
must walk the path prescribed by God in our course of life: 
who can resist what He has decreed in His wisdom, who will 
oppose His Will? Are not all of His ways good, though some- 
times dark and painful to us? Is not your watchword in all 
vicissitudes of your life: God's will be done? Oh, prove it 
now that you are sincere, and return willingly to the Lord 
that which He loaned you for a short while, and humble 
yourself beneath God's most powerful Hand. 

"Because God loved thee, it had to be"; so spoke the angel 
to Tobias, and you are told this now by the soul of your dead 
child. 

The Saviour's words: "Did you not know that I must be 
about my Father's business," tell you where you now have 
to look for your child, in the abode of the heavenly Father. 
It is there, where He often transports those whom we most 
cherish, lest we set our heart too much upon the transient 
and lose sight of heaven. There we shall meet again with 
those who have preceded us, when our brief years shall have 
elapsed. Then our sadness will change into everlasting joy, 
a joy of which no one can deprive us. The body of your child 
is asleep; you will see it rise with a cheerful smile when the 
light of the eternal morning shall come. The bond which 
unites you with the child is not buried; it becomes sanctified 
in the love of God. One child less on earth, one angel more in 
heaven. Let this thought comfort you, for this thought is 
as true as beautiful. It is for you to lead a life that will 
warrant you the hope to be again united with your child 
when your own death comes. Amen. 



LXXII 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 



Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn 
thee, taking pity on thee (Jer. XXXI, 3). 

This hour finds us assembled to lay to rest a dear little child. 
The hearts of the parents are heavy with grief. They had to 
give up the only child with whom the gracious Lord had 
blessed them, the apple of their eye, the joy of their heart, 
the gem of their love, the one thought of their prayers and 
wishes. The child is gone, the hopes it aroused are shattered, 
joy is banished from the heart of the parents. Your heart 
needs support and comfort, which God alone can give, the 
God of all comfort, He who smiteth, but also healeth. Let 
me repeat to you, for your consolation, the words He spoke 
to Jeremias the Prophet: "Yea, I have loved thee with an 
everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity 
on thee." 

Yea, the Father in heaven has truly loved this infant. He 
loved it before ever it was born; He loved it when He adopted 
it in Baptism as His child, as the heir of His glory; He loved 
it when He intrusted it to your loving heart. Because He 
loved it, He has transplanted it from this uncertain life to 
Paradise, where it is safe from the withering storms of the 
passions, from pain and death. In the light of eternity the 
soul of this child will grow beautiful, and it will be blessed 
in the divine love and the glory of God. The Father in heaven 
has drawn it to Him. Happy child! It is perfect, it rests in 

225 



226 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

the arm of God; it is now with its Saviour. There, dear par- 
ents, you will see the meaning of the words: "I love you with 
an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity 
on thee." 

But the merciful God is addressing you all, my friends, with 
His word, and He desires to impress upon your heart: Do not 
lose faith in Me, your affliction is but an act of My love. In 
times of distress, when our way is dark and gloomy, our heart 
may be tempted to lose faith in God's love and kindness. It 
may ask even now: Is this an act of love, to take a dear child 
from our arms? 

Listen: "I love thee with an everlasting love; therefore 
have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee." 

God's love has never failed. His word has never deceived. 
Your own life, with all its vicissitudes, is a monument, a glor- 
ification of His love. Everything surrounding you proves His 
love, points to His love. He loved you when He gave you this 
child, and your gratitude is due Him for the many joyful hours 
you owe to His gift. He still loves you, though He has taken the 
child. You know His intention. He desires to draw you to Him 
with the aid of the child. Yonder, to heaven, He often transports 
those most beloved by us, lest we set our hearts too much upon 
the transient and forget our eternal welfare. That is the mean- 
ing of the Apostle's words: "Seek the things that are above, 
where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the 
things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth" 
(Col. Ill, 1, 2). Do not become so engrossed in the business 
of life as to forget to sanctify your hearts; do not neglect the 
pursuit of the kingdom of God. Praise the holy Will of God, 
whose purpose it is to draw you; praise it also in grief and sor- 
row, follow the glorious example that our Lord Jesus has 
given us. 

The words, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 227 

therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee," contain a 
glorious promise of the Lord, an admonition to love Him in 
turn, and to serve Him faithfully. He will let shine again the 
sun of joy for you after a gloomy night. And if you walk His 
way, and serve Him faithfully, then you may expect cheer- 
fully the coming of your own hour of death and in praise of 
His love you will confess: "Merciful and gracious is the Lord, 
forbearing and most kind.*' Amen. 



LXXIII 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

VI 

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall 
touch them, (Wisd. EH, 1). 

My dear friends, our hearts are in sadness, sharing the sor- 
row of the parents who by death have been despoiled in quick 
succession of two beloved children. We are giving expression 
to our deep sympathy and try our best to console them. But 
in bereavement such as this, human comfort is of no avail. 
Here we need the comfort of a mightier power, and we shall 
find it in the Holy Word of God, where we find the consola- 
tion we need. Let me offer for our contemplation in this sad 
hour the words from the Old Testament: "The souls of the 
just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them." 

The souls of these children are just. Alas, of not all those 
who depart from this world may we say that their souls are 
just. Leaving out of consideration those who knowingly and 
stubbornly are pursuing the broad way to perdition, we shall 
consider only ourselves, who, I hope, are all possessed of the 
wish to be saved. Sin affects everyone of us, making us sloth- 
ful in doing good. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive 
ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (John I, 8). "For there 
is no just man upon earth," it is written, "that doth good 
and sinneth not" (Eccl. VII, 21). But these innocent children 
knew no iniquity nor sin. Their hearts were dwellings of the 
Holy Ghost, whom they received in Baptism. Received into 
the Church of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they also 
have partaken of His redemption and salvation. What a 

228 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 229 

beautiful comfort for parents, to know that their children are 
still in the stage of innocence when they depart for their in- 
heritance in heaven, departing from this life untouched by sin, 
and undefiled, to meet their divine Friend in heaven, who 
promised them the kingdom, and who plainly showed how 
much He loved them while He was walking among men. 

Their souls are just, and therefore in the hand of God. You 
know where to look for your children; you know their present 
abode, where they rest securely. They are in the hand of God: 
they shall there remain for ever, and in due time you will 
meet them there, in joy and bliss, if you die in the love and 
grace of God. They are with Him, who has given them to you, 
whose property they are; they are with the heavenly Father. 
With all your love you could do little for your children. 
What you could give them cannot compare with what they 
are given in heaven. Could they be cared for better, could 
they be safer anywhere, than in the hand of God? 

In the realm of God no torment, no sorrow, can touch them. 
Nothing but joy in abundance. In this life we are groaning 
under afflictions and adversities, whereas they have been 
taken into a Kingdom where no tears are ever shed, no pains 
ever felt. Their fate is assured, it is eternal glory. Such a 
death is not a loss, but a gain. A long life on earth means 
long suffering; he who dies a good death early will attain 
joy early. The sorrow of the survivors is mitigated by their 
love, which is joyful of the better lot fallen to the departed, 
and by their faith, which fills them with the hope of meeting 
again. 

Therefore, dear parents, you should humbly bow to God's 
holy Will, and take good care that your hope of meeting your 
children in heaven will not come to naught by your own fault, 
for the Saviour tells us: "Only he that doeth the will of my 
Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of 
heaven" (Matt. VII, 21). Amen. 



LXXIV 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

VII 

Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for 
of such is the kingdom of God (Mark X, 14). 

My dear friends, we have among us a broken-hearted father, 
a sorrowing mother. The Lord, in His inscrutable wisdom, 
has demanded from them the sweet child whom He had in- 
trusted into their care only a few months ago. How they 
treasured their precious gift of God, how happy their home 
was, what sweet dreams of the future filled their souls, when 
they held and petted their cherished babe! Now death has 
come, the Lord has soon recalled the sweet gift, and the par- 
ents' joy is changed into sorrow. May the Lord of all comfort, 
who consoles us in all of our sorrows, console also your afflicted 
hearts by the soothing balm of His words: "Suffer the little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such 
is the kingdom of God." 

"Suffer the little children to come unto me." It is the voice, 
the call of our dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thus He 
spoke lovingly, while He, the children's truest Friend, was 
walking on earth, and His invitation will continue to ring 
forth as long as there are human beings on earth. "Suffer 
the child to come unto me." It was done, the child was 
brought to Him in holy Baptism. There our Divine Lord 
embraced it, gave to it His grace and blessing, and communi- 
cated to it His spirit and His life. And now He has spoken 
a second time to the parents: "Suffer the little child to come 

230 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 231 

unto me," and again they are words of grace and love, words 
that have the power of changing sorrow into joy, for new 
hopes of life and of heaven are rising at the coffin of this little 
child. The child has partaken of the holy, merciful, and rich 
love of God. You, my dear parents, must not begrudge your 
child its great good fortune. "Suffer the little child to come 
unto me, and forbid her not," says Christ; "do not wish to 
keep her from me, with me the little child will be safe and well 
cared for. Because of such is the kingdom of heaven." The 
child is now enjoying the fulness of heavenly joys. Our imagi- 
nation is incapable of conceiving the glory of heaven. Un- 
defiled by sin, this child has become a guest at the eternal 
marriage feast in heaven: it rejoices in everlasting bliss. Since 
you are sincerely fond of your little daughter, you must be 
glad that she enjoys the full splendour, the full blessedness, 
and all the joys of the kingdom of God. This salvation of 
souls is also the end of our faith (1. Pet. I, 9), and this end can 
only be attained by the power of God, through keeping the 
faith (Ibid. 5), by patiently enduring for a little time 
the sorrows of temptations (Ibid. 6), and by childlike 
obedience to the law of God. Hence, my dear parents, if 
you are truly desirous of meeting your little daughter again, 
and to share with her the everlasting glory of heaven; 
if we all, my dear brethren, desire to attain the aim of our 
faith, namely, the salvation of our souls — then let us here 
firmly resolve to walk henceforth the way of God's command- 
ments in childlike obedience; for the Apostle says: "We are 
the children of God, and if children heirs also; heirs indeed 
of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. VIII, 17). 



LXXV 

FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

VIII 

It is the Lord: let him do what is good in his sight (1. Kings DI, 18) . 

Here we are standing again, dear brethren, at the grave 
of a dear little child. Death is reaping a rich harvest among 
them, many young buds are broken before they unfold. At 
the burial of infants, who succumb to the ills of childhood, 
it is usually not difficult to find a word of comfort for the be- 
reft; it is a harder blow, however, for parents when a healthy 
and strong child is suddenly taken by death as the result of 
an accident that might have been avoided. Yet, in the one 
case, as in the other, it was thus to be by the will and the dis- 
pensation of God. Do not, therefore, dear parents, in this 
heavy visitation give way to doubt and faint-heartedness, 
but be resigned to the Will of God as was Heli the High Priest 
when Samuel foretold him great woe, and say with Heli: 
"It is the Lord: let him do what is good in his sight." He 
was resigned to his fate, because this was the will of the Lord. 
It is the Lord who dispenses life and death. No blind fate 
is here at work, to believe this would be pagan; no, it is the 
dispensation of the Lord, of the wise and the all-loving Father. 
Recognize God's hand and will. My friends, bow to His 
holy Will. It is the Lord. In this thought there is consolation, 
and the heart becomes resigned and willing to endure. 

God had given life to the little child and given it into your 
care. You, dear parents, have waited upon the young life, 
have fostered it, and cared for it most faithfully. The child 

232 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 233 

was a source of great happiness. Now, the Lord has taken 
back His gift; this is His right: He alone gives life, He alone 
preserves life, and He has also the undisputed right of with- 
drawing His gifts in any manner and way He pleases. He 
is the Lord, let Him do what is good in His sight. Thus speaks 
the meek and devout heart. Let it be your speech too. 

A most unfortunate circumstance caused the child's death. 
It suffered not, it departed from this life with hardly any pain. 
So many children suffer for days and weeks in violent pains 
and die a death of bitter agony. Death has taken your child, 
as it takes the children of many other parents, but your child 
was spared all suffering. 

"Let him do what is good in his sight." Submit patiently 
to God's holy Will. He has drawn the child up to heaven, 
wishing to draw your hearts too, that you may learn to con- 
fide in Him, to make His word your guide, His will your law, 
His approval your aim, and heaven your goal. The little 
child is now with Him. It has not gone out of the Fatherly 
hand of God: He will bless it with a richer and more glorious 
blessing than would have been possible had the child re- 
mained on earth. Let this thought be your comfort, my 
friends, and say: "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken 
away: blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job I, 21). Amen. 



LXXVI 
FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 

IX 

A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel 
bewailing her children, and would not be comforted because they are not 
(Matt. II, 18). 

This saying of the Prophet was applied by the evangelist 
to the mothers in Bethlehem, when all the male infants were 
killed by the order of Herod. It may be applied with truth 
also to our parish. A time of great distress has come over 
us. Death is reaping a large harvest amongst the children. 
Parents are living in anxiety, with sadness they behold their 
children, not knowing whether the dread disease will claim 
them too. Many are those who are mourning the loss of 
children. Hence, there is lamentation and great mourning in 
families, mothers are bewailing their children, "because they 
are not." 

Let us share in the mourning, but let us not belong to those 
who mourn without hope. The higher the waves of distress, 
the more fervently the Christian will cling to his belief in a 
divine Providence. This belief is the rock on which we stand; 
let it be the refuge for troubled souls. Is it not our Father 
in heaven who ordains all things? Is not His purpose the 
wisest? He strikes, but heals again; He may humble His 
faithful, but will never forsake them. Everything He does 
will be for the benefit of those that love Him. Thus may 
He do what is good in His sight. 

Shall we bewail the children which the Lord took unto Him 
into heaven? True, the parents sadly point to the graves. 

234 



FOR BURIALS OF CHILDREN 235 

But their children have died in innocence. They were sanc- 
tified by holy Baptism, their souls were pure: no sin had as 
yet defiled God's image within their souls. And the Lord 
said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me; for of such 
is the kingdom of God." 

In heaven they are secure and safe. We are exposed to 
sin; we are in the thick of the fight, and surrounded by danger. 
They have nothing more to fear, no temptation can reach 
them. They are in the safest possession of the inheritance 
for which we have still to work with fear and trembling. There- 
fore, my Christian parents, I say with St. Cyprian: "You have 
not lost them, they only went ahead of you : it is not right for 
you to put on a mourning garb when they are wearing the 
white dress of joy." 

It does behoove us, however, to humble ourselves beneath 
the hand of the Almighty. If we confess our sinfulness before 
Him, and, chastened by His visitation, open our hearts to 
Him, then our loss will be changed into gain. Let us banish 
all pride, seeing how quickly man is stricken by the hand of 
God. He who has sinned should repent; those who have rested 
all their hopes upon this world should think more of the here- 
after. 

And when disaster threatens, when nothing seems to avail, 
let us pray with Daniel, the Prophet: "I beseech thee, Oh 
Lord God, great and terrible, who keepest the covenant, and 
mercy to them that love thee: we have sinned, and have gone 
aside from thy commandments. To thee, Oh Lord, is justice; 
but to us confusion of face. Incline, Oh my God, thy ear and 
hear: open thy eyes and see our desolation: for it is not for 
our justification that we present our prayers before thy 
face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies" (Dan. IX, 
4-5, 18). Amen. 



LXXVII 
BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 



Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of 
affliction come and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They 
'please me not (Eccl. XII, 1). 

This is the advice, my dear brethren, given by Solomon to 
young people, and this advice is recalled to mind by this sad 
occasion, when we bury the earthly remains of a youth who, 
despite all the temptations to which young men are exposed, 
remained true to his God and preserved his virtue and inno- 
cence. Brought up by Christian parents in the ways of re- 
ligion and taught to lead a good life, his earnest aim was to be 
a good Christian and to become a useful member of human 
society. All the more his premature death must be regretted. 
His example, however, shows us how well it is to make good 
use of life. It enabled him to die with much comfort and in 
good cheer. His blessed death is an encouragement to follow 
his example, and it calls out to us the words: "Remember 
thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of 
affliction come and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt 
say: They please me not." 

1. Solomon's advice is short, but important; it bids us re- 
member God while there is the strength to do good. To 
curb levity and to protect youth in the manifold temptations 
it is exposed to, this can only be achieved by the incessant 
remembrance of God, mindful of the words of the Psalmist: 
" Lord, thou hast proved me and known me, thou hast known 

236 



BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 237 

my sitting down and my rising up. Thou hast understood 
my thoughts afar off; my path and my line thou hast searched 
out. And thou hast forsaken all my ways: for there is no 
speech in my tongue. Behold, Oh Lord, thou hast known all 
things" (Ps. CXXXVIII, 1-5). Hence, this remembrance of 
God should be the steady companion of youth, that they be 
kept from sinning, and be fortified in the fear of God and con- 
stant in the exercise of virtue. This thought of God must 
make up for the lack of youth in deliberation and experience, 
thus preserving their body and soul undefiled by sin. This 
is the sense in which Solomon says: "Remember thy Creator 
in the days of thy youth." 

2. Nothing is more apt to impress this advice forcibly upon 
young people than the sight of the premature death of a young 
man: it demonstrates that youth is just as much subject to 
death, just as near to eternal retribution, as old age. Youth, 
as a rule, indulges in the hope of a long life, but the death of 
a young man or young woman is a powerful reminder to 
them that they may share this fate at any time. If this is so, 
does it not bespeak gross .carelessness if they fail to remember 
their Creator in their youth? Death is especially hard in the 
years of youth, when life seems so pleasant and sweet. And 
if the days of youth are not passed in the fear of the Lord, 
this will make death at that age all the harder. Hence, 
"remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth"; for you 
do not know how near the end is. 

3. There is nothing more profitable than following this ad- 
vice; nothing else will vouchsafe the hope of a peaceful and 
contented life. Neither money nor possessions will insure to 
man rest, peace, and happiness; neither can they be found in 
sensuous pleasures, "for the kingdom of God," says the 
Apostle, "is not meat and drink, but justice, and peace, and 
joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. XIV, 17). This justice, this 



238 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

peace, this joy in the Holy Ghost, however, will be vouchsafed 
to those who, with the help of the Holy Ghost, have avoided 
sin, who have kept the commandments, and have faithfully 
fulfilled their duties: for Holy Writ says: "Much peace have 
they that love thy law, and to them there is no stumbling block" 
(Ps. CXVIII, 165). Hence, my young men and young women, 
this heavenly rest, peace, and joy, shall be yours if you will be 
able to look back without compunction upon the years of your 
youth, if by probity and virtue you have won the grace of 
God and the respect and love of your fellow-men. Then, if 
death should come to-day or to-morrow to put an end to 
your career, you will not have to fear the judgment of God, 

This young man, whose earthly remains we consign to the 
grave, died in peace and comfort because he led a life of god- 
liness. We may hope that he has been received into the king- 
dom of God and given the reward promised to those who love 
the Lord. However, let us pray for him. 



LXXVIII 

BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 

II 

The Insecurity of Life an Earnest Warning to 
Young People 

When Isaias the Prophet was bidden by a Voice to preach, 
he answered with the question: "What shall I cry?" and he 
was told by the Lord to preach: "All flesh is grass, and all the 
glory thereof as the flower of the field. The grass is withered, 
and the flower is fallen, because the spirit of the Lord hath 
blown upon it "(Isa. XL, 6, 7). The same Voice bids the 
priest, upon an occasion like this, to cry to you: "Watch ye, 
therefore, because you know not what hour your Lord will 
come." I am to remind you of the insecurity of human life. 
And my words ought to reach your hearts all the more 
because we are standing at the grave of a young man taken 
away in the prime of his life, taken from his parents, brothers 
and sisters. This example of the insecurity of life is a solemn 
warning for all, but in this case particularly for young 
people — 

1. Lest they give way to levity. Youth is especially in- 
clined to levity, and we cannot be much surprised at this 
fact. At that age reason has not attained maturity, experience 
is wanting; the heart, free from cares, takes life easy, it in- 
dulges in pleasures without always considering how perilous 
and injurious they are. Levity is at that age the cause of 
many foolish acts and transgressions, which may ruin a man's 
entire life. Young people often do things detrimental to 



240 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

life and health; they court temptations, and sometimes ac- 
quire evil habits that develop into vices. Hence, what is 
more important than to curb this levity, and what is more 
likely to curb levity than to meditate upon the insecurity of 
life? "Behold, thou thrivest like green grass and bloomest 
like the flowers: but the grass is withered, and the flower is 
fallen because the spirit of the Lord hath blown upon it." 
It takes but little to end the life. A severe attack of disease, 
an accident, and so on, will suffice to end the life of even a 
vigorous young man or young woman. And who among us 
is sure that nothing of the sort will happen to him? What 
person, who has any regard at all for his immortal soul, can 
take the risk to live frivolously and unconcerned about the 
fate that may befall him to-day or to-morrow? 

2. The insecurity of this life should warn young people 
not to indulge in false hopes. It is a characteristic of youth 
to have an exaggerated idea of the value of earthly goods, 
to take for gold all that glittereth. How attractive are honour, 
riches, and pleasures for the young ! Those who possess these 
things are considered happy. People strive and struggle from 
their youth on, in the hope to win these possessions, and to 
find the happiness that is supposed to go with them. But 
how sadly do they find themselves deceived! Temporal ad- 
vantages are fascinating like a beautiful flower, but just as 
perishable. "Every work that is corruptible shall fail in the 
end," says Holy Writ, "and the worker thereof shall go with 
it." But even if this were not so, no man will find true con- 
tentment in the possession and enjoyment of the things that 
life offers him, because, no matter how many of them he has, 
his heart will always ask for more and will never be satis- 
fied. The more young people strive for earthly happiness, the 
more they will be disappointed, and finally, after many a 
bitter experience, they will have to admit with Solomon that 



BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 241 

"All is vanity and all the glory of flesh is as the flower of the 
field." 

3. The more we become convinced of the vanity of every- 
thing wordly, the more reason for us to inquire how we can 
acquire true and everlasting happiness. Holy Writ answers: 
"Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is all man. 
Be thou in the fear of the Lord all day long: because thou shalt 
have hope in the latter end, and thy expectation shall not be 
taken away" (Eccl. XII, 13; Prov. XXIII, 17, 18). There 
you see, young men and women, what God demands of you; 
He wants you to flee from sin and to keep His commandments 
for the love of Him. 

If we do so, our expectation of a true and everlasting bliss 
will never be disappointed. But do not try and postpone the 
service of God until old age. "Remember thy Creator in the 
days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come and the 
years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say: They please me 
not." Youth thinks it has the right to enjoy life, that there 
will be sufficient time to think of God and to prepare for death 
when the riper years come, but many have been deceived by 
this reasoning; they embittered their life and shortened it, 
and laid in their youth the foundation for their temporal and 
eternal wretchedness. The more urgent therefore the admoni- 
tion: "Flee from sin, walk in the fear of God and keep his 
commandments; for he that doth the will of God shall enter 
into the kingdom of God." 

Into this kingdom has been received, so we may hope, our 
departed friend. Let us, however, pray. 



LXXIX 
BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 

III 

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass: 
The grass is withered, and the flower thereof is fallen away: but the word 
of the Lord endurethfor ever (1. Pet. I, 24, 25). 

My dear friends, some men seem to be endowed with special 
vitality. In spite of hardship, of toil, even want and disease, 
they live to an old age, and they almost seem immune against 
death. On the other hand, only a brief life is allotted to others. 
The present funeral is an instance. We have laid to rest a 
young man who recently walked amongst us in vigour and 
health; he was the joy and hope of his parents, the pride of 
his brothers and sisters, an honour to our parish. Suddenly 
the cheeks paled, the strength was broken, the bloom faded. 
Hence, our deep sorrow and hearty sympathy with the bereft 
family, but hence also the solemn admonition, to remember 
that our life is insecure and we are subject to death. It will 
be of benefit to all of us to devote some thought to this 
truth. 

1. St. Peter says: "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory 
thereof as the flower of grass: the grass is withered, and the 
flower thereof is fallen away: but the word of the Lord en- 
dureth for ever." This applies to man and his glory. This 
youth, hale, hearty, full of vigour in the morning, was dead 
in the evening. "For what is your life?" asks St. James the 
Apostle, and he answers: "It is a vapour, that appeareth for 
a little while and afterwards shall vanish away" (Jas. IV, 14). 

242 



BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 243 

And God Himself told the man who lived in foolish security, 
"Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee" 
(Luke XII, 20). These words of Holy Scripture point to the 
shortness of our life on earth. 

2. This truth is also corroborated by our own experience. 
We have here an instance, in the case of this youth. But a 
short while ago we saw him amongst us in the vigour of life. 
To-day he is dead. Nor is this a solitary case. Alas, there 
are many parents who have lost promising sons and daughters 
of tender years. Yes, my dear parents, many have mourned 
the same as you do to-day. They have found comfort in the 
word of the Lord: "What God does is done wisely.'* Let these 
words be a balm for your sorrow, as it was for them. 

3. Holy Scripture warns us of the frailty of our body, of 
the shortness of our entire life on earth; it warns us of vain 
hopes; it reminds us of the judgment to come, and of the ac- 
counting that will be demanded of us. Hence, do not rely 
upon bodily vigour, do not set your heart upon earthly pos- 
sessions, do not count upon long life; be ready to give up your 
dearest possession if the Lord so wills; rely upon the living 
God, who is and remains the same as yesterday and to-day 
and for ever; watch all the time and be ready with your reck- 
oning, "for at what hour you think not, the Son of Man will 
come" (Luke XII, 40). 

4. But people will not listen to these words of warning. 
They live for the day and do not think of the end. They say : 
"For what hath happened to him, shall not be our lot; the 
time of our life is short: come therefore and let us enjoy the 
good things that are present" (Wisd. II, 6). The word of 
warning is not remembered, not listened to, especially by 
young people. They think a long life is ahead of them; hence, 
they defer penance and conversion to later days. The warn- 
ing is not listened to by men of middle age; they are engrossed 



244 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

in the ambitions and cares of this life. Even those of advanced 
age fail to listen to the warning; though standing on the brink 
of the grave, they seem not to have the faintest idea that 
death is nigh. "Watch ye, because you know not the day 
nor the hour," says the Apostle (Matt. XXV, 13), nor do you 
know whether you will have the time and the grace, as had 
this departed youth, to become reconciled to God by the holy 
rites and to prepare for your departure into eternity. Hence, 
take warning, and lead the life you will wish to have led when 
your hour comes. For the deceased, however, let us pray. 



LXXX 
BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 

IV 

All flesh is grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field 
(Isa. XL, 6). 

Many people lead a life so confident and careless, as if it 
would never end. Everybody flatters himself that he has a 
considerable number of years ahead of him; everybody thinks 
his last hour to be far away : the young man is sure of attain- 
ing a very old age, the man of middle age expects to live quite 
a while yet, and even those of old age are hoping to add to 
their scores of years. Yet the Prophet says: "All flesh is 
grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of the field." 
Aye, dear friends, such is life. It is as the flower of the field — 
in the morning glorying in the brightness of its colours, and 
at evening faded and despoiled of all its beauty. Oh, do never 
forget this picture of your life! Especially you, my young 
friends, do not forget what life is, and imprint this picture 
upon your soul. You are young and vigorous, and you 
expect to five many years; but as a matter of fact your life 
is as the flower of the field, fading all too quickly. Do you 
want proof? See this dead body! Our sister seemed assured 
of a long life, yet, while a few days ago she was hale and 
hearty, she became within a day or two the prey of death 
and corruption. 

Hence, do not be proud of your vigorous health, my young 
men and women! Do not rest your hope for a long life upon 
youth, health, strength, and vigour, for all this is deceiving, 

245 



246 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

and does not warrant an expectancy of long life. No one is 
too young, too strong, or too healthy for death. Like the 
reaper at the time of harvest, who mows down with the ripe 
corn also the unripe, so doth death make no distinction. 
Since, then, human life is so frail, and not even vigorous 
youth are exempt from death, what are we to do? 

From the insecurity and frailty of the human life we must 
draw the lesson that it is necessary for us to be ready at all 
times to die. If death does not spare even youth, what may 
old age expect? If death should surprise us in sin, it will mean 
for us not reward, but eternal punishment. You especially, 
young men and women, should profit from this thought of the 
frailty of human life, by caring early for the salvation of your 
soul, and by preparing for a blessed death, because you do 
not know whether you will live much longer, you do not know 
whether you will be able to prepare later on for a good death. 
" Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the 
time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which 
thou shalt say: They please me not" (Eccl. XII, 1). "Re- 
joice, therefore, in thy youth, Oh young man, and let thy 
heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth, but 
know, that for all this God will bring thee into judgment" 
(Ibid. XI, 9). These words advise you to enjoy your life, 
but in such a way that you may justify yourself before the 
judgment of the Lord. Enjoy your youth, but beware of 
offending God! 

Even in the days of youth do not fail to do good works. 
Make a good use of your years of youth, so that should death 
surprise you in the prime of your life, there may apply to 
you the words of the Book of Wisdom about the righteous: 
"Being made perfect in the short space, he fulfilled a long 
time: for his soul pleased God, therefore he hastened to bring 
him out of the midst of iniquities. He was taken away, lest 



BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 247 

wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile 
his soul" (Wisd. IV, 13, 14). 

My young men and women, if you will consecrate the 
firstlings of your years in this manner to God and to virtue, 
then it will not matter when or how soon death will cut the 
thread of your life. Our sister is, we may hope, enjoying 
these heavenly joys, because she has led a good and God- 
fearing life and was patient and devout in her sickness. Let 
Us, however, pray. 



LXXXI 
BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 



From morning even to night, thou wilt make an end of me (Isa. 

xxxvm, 13). 

Standing at the grave of a young man who in the fulness 
of life has been snatched by death from his kin and friends, 
the question suggests itself: "What is the life of man?" 
Various are the answers that people will give to this question. 
Some will say life is the time for enjoyment. The industrious 
man will say it is the time to work hard, so as to amass as 
much money as possible. The ambitious man will say it is 
the time to seek honour; and so on. The open grave, too, 
has an answer to the question. It says: The life of man is a 
journey to the grave. Hardly have we begun to live, when 
we start on our way to death, and with each minute of our 
life we are drawing a minute nearer to our death. 

This was the view of life of pious Job, for he says: "The 
days of man are short, and the number of his months is with 
thee: thou hast appointed his bounds which cannot be 
passed" (Job XIV, 5). This sentiment was expressed by 
King Ezechias in his prayer: "From morning even to night, 
Thou wilt make and end of me." There will come a morning 
whereof we shall not survive the evening, or a night whereof 
we shall not see the morning. But when this is to happen, we 
do not know. It is known alone to God, who has life and 
death in His hand. St. James tells us: "Behold now, you 

248 



BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 249 

that say: To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, 
and there we will spend a year, and will traffic and make our 
gain: whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. 
For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a 
little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you 
should say: If the Lord will and if we shall live, we will do 
this or that" (Jas. IV, 13-16). 

What had we better do? How are we to make use of the 
brief space of time allotted to us by the Lord? Are we to 
use it only in enjoying the pleasures offered by the world? 
Shall we use it only for gathering wealth? No, we must use 
it to gather merit for heaven; for God has not destined us for 
this world, but to enjoy eternal blessedness in the hereafter; 
our time on earth is preparatory for eternity; heaven must 
be earned by a good Christian life, by practising the virtues 
of faith, hope, charity, humility, meekness, chastity, and 
temperance. Therefore the divine Saviour said: "Lay not 
up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and moth 
consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but 
lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the 
rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break 
through and steal" (Matt. VI, 19, 20). Treasures of gold 
and silver, houses and acres, and so on, we shall leave behind 
us in death, but our treasures of virtues and good deeds will 
accompany us into eternity; but so will our unrepented sins, 
— the virtues to earn for us everlasting reward in heaven, the 
sins to cause our eternal perdition. 

Hence, my dear brethren, let us resolve at this grave 
henceforth to flee sin, and to walk the way of the Lord's com- 
mandments. Let us aim to become rich in virtues and good 
deeds. Then we may hope to find in our Lord a gracious 
Judge, for Holy Writ says: "Blessed are the dead that die 
in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they 



250 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

may rest from their labours; for their works follow them" 
(Apoc. XIV, 13). 

If we have lived on earth a good life, we shall die a blessed 
death, and our hope for the heavenly reward shall not be eon- 
founded. This hope was the consolation of the deceased in 
his sickness, and we may hope that it has been fulfilled. Let 
us pray. 



LXXXII 

BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 

VI 

The winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. . . . Arise, my 
love, my beautiful one, and come (Cant. II, 11, 13). 

These words of the bridegroom to the bride, in the Canticle 
of Canticles, may be well applied to the departed young woman 
at whose grave we are assembled. "The winter is past, the 
rain is over and gone." She was in the springtime of life, 
yet her days were chilled by wintry blasts and marred by 
torrents of rain: I am referring to the sufferings with which 
the Lord has visited her. She had been more or less ill for a 
long time, when she was finally thrown upon the sick-bed, to 
arise no more. Now her winter is past, the rain is over and 
gone. She is delivered from all the pains and sorrows of this 
life, from the temptations that threaten innocence, the rocks 
where the salvation of many a soul has gone to wreck. 

Her tired body is now at rest in this grave, but her soul, 
so we may hope, is in heaven, reaping an everlasting reward 
for her patience in her long and intense sufferings. Virgins 
are the Lord's elect on earth and in heaven. To the virgin 
soul He says in the fondness of His heart: "Arise, my friend, 
my fair one, and come." 

Under such circumstances where am I to look for words 
of comfort to the parents, bowed down in sorrow? True, it is 
hard to stand at the grave of a young and hopeful daughter, 
who, according to human reckoning, would have become their 
help and consolation in their days of health and illness. 

251 



252 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

But what greater joy can there be, what more blissful com- 
fort for the heart, than the knowledge that the beloved 
daughter has been delivered from her long and intense suffer- 
ings, freed from all dangers that threaten the soul in the 
world, dangers to which so many succumb every day? Re- 
member, you did not get your child from God to make her 
happy in this life, but in the other life, and if He called her 
to her reward sooner than you expected, may you remon- 
strate? I know the blow is heavy, and the bereavement bitter. 
But the thought of the happiness of your daughter in heaven 
will help you to become resigned to the Will of God, who 
does what is best for His children. It behooves us to say, no 
matter what happens : Thy Will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven. You, the young friends of the deceased, who have 
decorated her coffin with flowers and carried it hither in the 
attire of innocence, pray for her that her happiness be made 
complete. Prayer is the only and the best thing you can do 
for her. But have also regard for yourselves. Behold, how 
quickly death calls us! Avoid sin and the occasion for sin- 
ning. Pray and persevere in virtue, for you do not know 
which among you will be the next one to be brought hither, 
as this corpse is brought here now. Let us all pray for the 
peace of the soul of the deceased. 



LXXXIII 
BURIALS OF YOUTHS AND MAIDENS 

VII 

He was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or 
deceit beguile his soul (Wisd. IV, 14). 

The grave has opened for one who in human reckoning died 
all too soon. Hence, there is good cause for great sorrow; 
on the other hand, there is good cause for cheerful hope: 
why, then, the sorrow, whence the hope? 

Where the cold hand of death has just been felt, there is 
mourning. The funeral may be that of a man advanced in 
years, who had little to hope for in life, yet we miss him with 
sorrow, we regret that he has gone. The funeral may be that 
of a feeble infant, yet the extinction of his young life fills 
one with sadness. With the aged man is buried a past of 
achievements, with the child is buried a future of hopes. 
Even more reason for us to mourn when we see a vigorous 
life cut short, a flower broken in its bloom and faded in 
death, as is the case with this young man. WTio would have 
thought it possible, but a few weeks ago, when looking at 
that boy, so full of health and vigour, that the grave would 
so soon receive him! Your loss is heavy indeed, my dear 
parents, for he would, no doubt, have been your help and 
comfort in your declining days. Be not ashamed of your 
tears, you brothers and sisters; you are mourning a good 
and loving brother. You have reason to grieve, you, his 
friends; the heart that beat in true friendship, it has ceased 
beating. Aye, we all are mourning and with good reason; 
for there has been taken from among our midst a good and 
virtuous man, a young man who held out great promise. 

253 



254 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

But, my beloved, though this loss may be great, look up in 
devotion to the Lord, who willed for us this loss. What God 
does is always for the best. We have good cause to temper 
our sorrow with hope and confidence, for the departed was 
pious and virtuous. True, in youthful merriment he enjoyed 
mirth and pastime, but he knew how to avoid the serpent 
that hides beneath the flowers, ready to fasten its poisonous 
fangs into the unwary. He knew how to avoid forbidden and 
sinful pleasures, and he set thereby a good example to his 
companions. He walked the way of a dutiful son, of a loving 
brother, a loyal friend, and a good Christian. And in his 
sickness, when tortured by pains, he endeavoured to imitate 
the patience of our divine Lord, and when he felt his last 
hour coming, he asked for the means of grace provided by our 
Church. Thus he departed, well prepared by a good life and 
by the holy rites of our faith, to meet the judgment of God. 

To us he has left a blessed memory and the hope that we 
shall meet him again in everlasting happiness. His soul 
"was taken away, lest wickedness should alter his under- 
standing, or deceit beguile his soul." Who knows but that 
the wisdom of these words may be applied to this case? While 
we would not expect such a good young man to ever seri- 
ously stray from virtue, there is consolation in the thought 
that his salvation is positively assured. Let us bow then to 
the wisdom of the Lord, and be consoled, you parents, sisters, 
brothers, and friends! We may hope that his soul is enjoying 
the rapture of heaven. Yet, with all his virtues, he too, had 
his weaknesses, as we all have them. The Lord, of this we 
may be confident, will consider his patience in enduring the 
intense suffering of his last sickness as atonement for youth- 
ful faults. But, inasmuch as even the least spot bars the 
soul from the sight of God, let us raise our hands and hearts 
to the Father of Mercy and pray with fervour: Lord, give 
him rest eternal. Let us pray. 



lxxxiv 
for the burial of a bride 

Three Angels of Comfort 

And now there remaineth faith, hope, and charity, these three: but 
the greatest of these is charity (1. Cor. XHI, 13). 

The angels of God have carried into the land of retribu- 
tion a soul purified by the afflictions of the earth, while we 
have brought hither the earthly shell to be laid at rest in the 
grave. She has found peace, and has gone through death to 
eternal life, while here hearts are bleeding and eyes are weep- 
ing, especially those of the parents and of the bridegroom. 
Great hopes are buried with this young woman. We under- 
stand your sorrow, dear friends, who, with all your love and 
with all your prayers, have been powerless to save her from 
death; but do not mourn like those who have no hope; 
know ye that at the grave of Christians there appears the 
Comforter of all those who are sad, fulfilling His promise: 
"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted" 
(Matt. V, 5). He comes as He came to the widow at the 
gate of the city of Nain, and says: "Weep not." He gives 
His Spirit to our hearts — the Spirit of comfort, of peace, of 
fortitude. He turns our eyes from the grave to heaven. He 
sends us His angels to encourage us in our sorrow, to give us 
strength even though we are wounded to death. "Now 
there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three," says the 
Apostle. These three, indeed, are the three angels of com- 
fort at the grave of the Christian. 

1. The first angel of comfort is the faith, which is stronger 

255 



256 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

than grief. A hard road we must travel in our pilgrimage on 
earth to reach our heavenly home, a road beset with thorns. 
The path is marked by tears, the poor heart will often sigh 
under the burden. Each day has its troubles. Often, indeed, 
the Lord will increase the burden until we think our grief 
must crush us. But our faith, the Christian faith, is stronger 
than earthly grief. Indeed, what else can keep us from 
despair, when the burden is heavy, but our faith in the kind- 
ness of God; what else can sustain us in the dark ways of life, 
but faith in God's wisdom? To enter into the kingdom of 
heaven, we have to pass through many adversities; but 
while God's purpose is often hidden to us, we know that His 
ways are always for the best. If the heart cries in its an- 
guish: "Why, Oh Lord, must this be?" faith will answer: 
"For thy salvation." All things will serve for the best for 
those who love God, and this will become manifest in time to 
come, when faith will change into seeing. 

2. A second angel of comfort is love, which is stronger than 
death. We cannot deny the fact that the tears shed at the 
graves of those dear to our hearts are on our own account 
rather than for the deceased. Why should we bewail them? 
because they have departed from a life which at best means 
toil and hardship? We mourn because we have to walk alone. 
But love is not selfish; it is glad that the departed has drawn 
the better lot, and yet remains united with us. Love wil- 
lingly gives up the bride to the heavenly Bridegroom, know- 
ing that she is happier in heaven than here below. Love 
extends beyond the grave, the memory of our dead is hal- 
lowed; we have one more blessed one in heaven, to draw 
our hearts heavenwards. For the dead in the Lord are not 
lost to us; thus are we consoled by the angel of — 

3. Hope, which is stronger than any loss. May hope be 
your companion on the way from this grave, and all through 



FOR THE BURIAL OF A BRIDE 257 

life, until you become reunited with her whom you consider 
now lost through death! Death in the Lord is not a loss; it 
is merely temporary parting, and the happiness of reuniting 
will be a part of the future heavenly bliss. How far off this 
reunion is, how near it is, who knows? He alone knows, who 
is numbering our days, and who will often gather us up 
speedily when least we expect it. Your heart should re- 
joice in the hope of meeting again; this hope has a firm foun- 
dation, as the rock upon which it is built is our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Therefore, what belongs to the earth let it return 
unto the earth, but the transfigured soul shall draw up our 
hearts in faith, in love, and in hope, to heaven, where she is 
abiding now, united with Christ, in everlasting glory. Let 
us now pray. 



LXXXV 
BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 



Let peace come, let him rest in his bed that hath walked in his 
uprightness (Isa. LVII, 2). 

A comforting promise is contained in these prophetical 
words for all those who walk in this life the path of righteous- 
ness. A beautiful inheritance and a great reward are in 
store for them. "Let peace come, let him rest in his bed that 
hath walked in his uprightness." This promise will be ful- 
filled, and it has been fulfilled in this dear, departed mother 
and widow, whose earthly remains are before us. She be- 
longed to those who have walked in their uprightness, and 
who strayed not to the way of evil and of perdition. In her 
long life, beginning with the days of her youth, in her married 
life, and in her widowhood, we never knew her otherwise than 
walking the path of righteousness, in the fear of God. She 
fulfilled conscientiously and faithfully all her duties, all 
proper demands of vocation and life. In her home life she 
distinguished herself by that true love that is ever ready to 
bring sacrifices: sincere and honest, simple and modest, she 
was very industrious and untiring in the care for her family. 
The blessed task of motherly love she performed most con- 
scientiously for her children. She was for them a genuine 
model of virtue, ever ready with advice and help, ever near 
to them with pious prayers. Her labours were not in vain. 
She reaped even here a beautiful reward and blessing, for her 
children were very fond of her, grateful and loyal. For their 
sake, to care further for them, she would have wished to stay 

258 



BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 259 

longer with them. And the survivors had no fonder wish than 
to keep their dear mother in their midst and to wait upon 
her lovingly. But the Lord willed differently. He had set the 
limit to her life; the hour of parting came and of tears. The 
mother's place is vacant in the home, but she has an endur- 
ing place in the hearts of her grateful children, who will never 
forget her. 

Our departed sister was a good Christian. We numbered 
her among the most zealous attendants at divine service, 
and she fortified her soul frequently by partaking, at the 
holy table of the Lord, of the Bread of Life. To her neigh- 
bours she was kind and obliging. To the poor and needy she 
was merciful and charitable. God the All-merciful has 
blessed the work of her hands and of her efforts; He guarded 
and protected her in danger and temptation; He granted her 
good health for a great many years, and He has taken her 
from this life only after giving her the time to receive the 
holy rites. 

Now, having walked in her uprightness, peace has come and 
she has found rest. The merciful God, so we may hope, has 
received her in the mansions of everlasting peace, to let her 
partake of the magnificent goods of His house. This com- 
fort the survivors may take to heart, with hope they may 
look forward to a reunion, but they should endeavour to 
make sure of the reunion by doing good works, that they may 
surely meet again the dear and beloved ones who have preceded 
them into eternity. 

Remember, peace and eternal rest will be given only to those 
"walking in their uprightness," to those who avoid sin, exer- 
cise righteousness, fulfil faithfully their duties, who submit 
to God's will in everything, and who live and die in His love. 
May God grant us His grace for this, and may He give eternal 
peace to the soul of our departed sister! Let us pray. 



LXXXVI 
BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 

II 

And the Lord will give thee rest continually, and will Jill thy soul 
with brightness and deliver thy bones (Isa. LVIH, 11). 

These words of the Prophet, which came to my mind when 
I looked upon our sister in her death, may also serve for a 
farewell to her in this hour: "And the Lord will give thee 
rest continually, and will fill thy soul with brightness and de- 
liver thy bones." 

It is that rest that cannot be found on earth, the rest in 
store for those who have waged the war of life in the name 
of the true and merciful God, and who have proved true unto 
death. It is the brightness with which God, the Source of 
all light and of all grace, will fill the soul who in this life, 
believing in her Redeemer, has asked for truth and justice. 
It is that delivery by which man, having with the grace of 
Christ passed through the sufferings, struggles, trials of life, 
will be taken into another life, where " death shall be no more, 
nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow" (Apoc. XXI, 4). 

And the way to this rest, to this brightness, to this deliv- 
ery by God, leads through the dark gate of death. Ours is a 
body of death, and the roads in life, divergent though they 
may be in other respects, all meet in the corruption of the 
grave. Death puts an end to all sorrows and pleasures, to 
all human greatness and lowliness, to all hopes and endeav- 
ours of the world. According to God's decree, death will 
sometimes take vigorous youth, again an aged man, now a 

260 



BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 261 

rich man, then a poor man, but death will surely come wher- 
ever a human being breathes. 

Thus there arrived also for this deceased the hour ordained 
by the Lord. Her life was rich in events, both sad and joyful, 
and after a life of many years she has now reached the end 
of her earthly pilgrimage. 

It is true, God granted her a full measure of life, such as 
is given to but few people. It is true, also, that the debilities 
of old age gave warning of death, yet to see a human being 
alive and well in the morning, and then to find her in the even- 
ing in the shadow of death, is both a shock and a warning 
to us. 

She received on the threshold of eternity her Divine Lord 
in the Holy Sacrament, as had been her joy in her days of 
good health. She had never failed to offer her life to Him 
who had sacrificed His life for her and all mankind. "And 
the Lord give thee rest for ever and fill thy soul with bright- 
ness and deliver thy bones." 

She has finished, as we must finish, to-day or to-morrow, 
sooner or later. Our days, too, are fleeting; every step 
onward is a step toward the grave. 

And is there nothing enduring in this world, nothing last- 
ing? Indeed, there is one thing that we have within reach, 
that we can build upon, as upon a rock. It is God, and His 
eternal verities; it is virtue and its everlasting value; it is the 
humble and practical belief in the Redeemer — a belief which 
in life will sanctify our thinking and choosing, our doing and 
suffering, and which will brighten the hour of our death with 
hope and confidence in the Lord. 

Oh Lord, our God, in whom we should live and die! Thou 
hast assured us through thy Prophet: "Mountains shall be 
moved and the hills shall tremble: but My mercy shall not 
depart from thee, and the covenant of My peace shall not be 



262 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

moved" (Isa. LIV, 10). Receive, we pray Thee, the soul of 
this Thy servant; let her enter upon the inheritance of the 
covenant of peace, which Christ has made for us, and which 
in Him we have made with Thee. And when there will come 
our own last hour, then have mercy on us, too, and let us die 
a holy death, whereof it is written: "Blessed are the dead, 
who die in the Lord" (Apoc. XIV, 13). Amen. 



LXXXVII 
BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 

III 

Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, for their works 
follow them (Apoc. XIV, 13). 

These are words which the Voice from heaven revealed to 
St. John and impressed upon his heart. Happy the dead upon 
whose grave can be laid these words as a last and fitting gift ! 
Happy the mourners to whom we can say these words as a 
sweet consolation for the heart ! Alas, these words cannot be 
applied to everyone who is buried. But wherever we may 
rightfully apply them, how hopefully may we stand at those 
graves ! Thanks be to God, of the pilgrim at whose grave we 
now stand I know no greater praise than: "Blessed are the 
dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the 
Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, for their works 
follow them." 

Our deceased friend truly died in the Lord. Blessed are 
those who have learned the art of dying! Educated by God- 
fearing parents, he led a God-fearing life. He was a faithful 
and good Christian; God's commandments were the laws of 
his life, God's Will his pleasure, God's peace his most precious 
gem, God's grace his treasure of life. To pray, to attend the 
divine service, to hear the Holy Word and meditate upon it, 
to receive the holy Sacraments — this was his joy and com- 
fort. Not having a helpmate at his side, he bestowed his 
love upon the poor and needy, and never failed to give and 

263 



264 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

to do good. When old age and infirmity told upon him, and 
he could no longer attend church, he spent the day in prayer 
and charitable work and in the preparation for death; and 
death at last called him, but not until he had for a last time 
devoutly received the holy Sacraments. 

When a life like this has ended, when a pilgrim like this 
has departed from the world, we cannot help saying: "Blessed 
are the dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, for 
their works follow them." 

The works that follow him are works of penance, of self- 
denial, of patience, of charity, all the good works he has done 
for the glory of God. These works accompanied him to the 
judgment seat of God, who rewards everyone according to 
his works, and we may hope that they have earned him a 
gracious judgment and the inheritance of the Saints. 

We cannot know, my friends, whether or not we are des- 
tined to reach an old age, as did the deceased; nor do we know 
whether or not we shall have the time and the grace to pre- 
pare for a good death; but one thing we do know: everyone 
will be rewarded according to his works. Oh, let us provide, 
therefore, in time, lest we may appear empty-handed before 
the judgment seat of God, lest we be cast out, as unprofitable 
servants, into the exterior darkness, where there "shall be 
weeping and gnashing of teeth.' * Let us be dead to sin, and 
try to become alive in good works, for by our works we shall 
be judged. It is only the good labourer who gets the reward, 
whereas the slothful servant will be condemned. Hence, I 
say with the Apostle: "In doing good let us not fail, for in 
due time we shall reap, not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). Let us 
pray for the deceased. 



LXXXVIII 
BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 

IV 

The number of the days of men at the most are a hundred years: as 
a drop of water of the sea are they esteemed: and as a pebble of the sand, 
so are a few years compared to eternity (Ecclus. XVIII, 8). 

Every death, every grave, is a warning to us that there is 
nothing enduring on earth, that everything is transient and 
in vain. Fleeting and passing is the time. One minute fol- 
lows the other, one hour hastens the other, day upon day and 
year after year go, until, unexpectedly and unawares, we are 
standing at the end of life. Our departed brother has reached 
a high age, yet he said on his death-bed that his life seemed 
to him a short one and rapidly gone. This will happen to 
everyone of us. Even he who lives eighty, ninety, even a 
hundred years or more, will have to confess at the end that 
his long life seems like a brief dream. No matter how long 
a man may walk on earth, at the end he will admit the truth 
of the words of Holy Writ: "The number of the days of men 
at the most are a hundred years: as a drop of water of the 
sea are they esteemed: and as a pebble of the sand, so are a 
few years compared to eternity.' ' He will confess with the 
Psalmist : " Our years shall be considered as a spider : the days 
of our years in them are threescore and ten years. But if in 
the strong, they be fourscore years: and what is more of 
them is labour and sorrow. For mildness is come upon us and 
we shall be corrected" (Ps. LXXXIX, 10). 

No matter how long we live, at the end we shall say with 

265 



266 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Job: "For we are but of yesterday and are ignorant that our 
days upon earth are but a shadow." 

But time is not the only thing that is fleeting, and quick 
to pass away; so does everything worldly that we have ac- 
quired in the course of our life. Our departed brother did 
not lack earthly possessions; he was in comfortable circum- 
stances, and was able to enjoy things which many others 
have to forego. Yet what did it profit him? He had to leave 
everything behind; all he can take with him into his grave 
are the four boards of his coffin and his shroud. 

Oh, let us take this to heart, dear friends ! Let no one build 
upon fleeting time; for no one knows whether even the to- 
morrow will belong to him, whether he will be able to make use 
of the day for penitence and reform, for doing good and work- 
ing out his salvation. " There is but one step between us and 
death" (1. Kings XX, 3). "Man knoweth not his own end: 
but as fishes are caught with the hook, and as birds are caught 
with the snare, so men are taken in evil time, when it shall 
suddenly come upon them" (Eccl. IX, 12). Hence, St. Paul's 
urgent exhortation: "See, therefore, brethren, how you walk 
circumspectly: not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time, 
because the days are evil." 

Employ your time, not to gather goods that are idle and 
perishable, which you will have to leave behind you in death, 
not to enjoy the pleasures that in the end change into bitter- 
ness, but employ the time to become rich in virtue and good 
deeds, which alone possess a lasting value for eternity, and 
which alone merit everlasting reward. "Love not the world," 
says St. John, "nor the things which are in the world. If 
any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in 
him. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the 
flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of 
life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And 



BURIALS OF PERSONS OF ADVANCED AGE 267 

the world passeth away, and the concupiscence thereof; but 
he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever" (John II, 15, 
17). He who does the Will of God and dies in the love of God, 
will die a blessed death, and he shall not be disappointed 
in his hope of an eternal blessedness. This is testified by 
St. John: "Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. From 
henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from 
their labours, for their works follow them" (Apoc. XIV, 13). 
" In doing good, let us not fail, for in due time we shall reap, 
not failing" (Gal. VI, 9). Let us now pray for the deceased, 
that the Lord may let him partake of the heavenly harvest. 



LXXXIX 

BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS, WIDOWERS, 
AND WIDOWS 



Alas, I am a widow woman, for my husband is dead (2. Kings 
XIV, 5). 

"Once a woman of Thecua was come into the king, she 
fell before him upon the ground and worshipped, and said: 
'Save me, Oh king!' And the king said to her: 'What is the 
matter with thee?' She answered: 'Alas, I am a widow 
woman: for my husband is dead.' " We behold, dear brethren, 
a sad event in this funeral. We have among us one who com- 
plains: "Alas, I am a widow woman; for my husband is dead." 
It is not long since he who is now departed and she who is 
now mourning him, joined hands at the altar of the Lord in 
the true and indissoluble union of hands and hearts. And now 
the bond is severed; death has parted them. The happiness 
of life is shattered, gone is the joy of life; the heart is crushed 
by sorrow. Yet, what great comfort for us to know that he 
died a good Christian death, just as he lived a good Chris- 
tian life! He received the holy Sacraments repeatedly, en- 
dured his sufferings with patience, and breathed his last re- 
signed to God's holy Will. Where are we to seek comfort! 
Alone in Him, who said: "I will not leave thee, neither will I 
forsake thee." 

A precious word, indeed, and a magnificent promise! The 
best that can be offered to the widow in her affliction. The 
Lord is with her; His fatherly heart is bent towards her, His 

268 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 269 

hand is over her, His grace is with her, His protection is hers, 
and His help. He has led her upon the way of the Cross, 
but He will also give her the strength to walk it in patience 
and resignation. He has filled her soul with sorrow, but He 
will soothe the wound with the oil of His consolation. Hence, 
let her mind the words, and let us do so with her: "I will not 
leave thee, neither will I forsake thee," and in our trust in 
the Lord we shall proceed on our way with hope and courage. 
Hence, let her, and let us, build upon this word, as upon a 
rock, and whenever the storms of life rage around us, let us 
look up to Him who has promised us: "I will not leave thee, 
neither will I forsake thee." 

Hence, be calm in sorrow, be strong and hopeful, Oh Chris- 
tian heart! Cling to the Almighty, who holds all things in 
His hand; to the Eternal, whose years have no end; to the 
Omnipresent, who is with us to the end of the world; to the 
All-merciful, who will give to those who ask; to the All- wise, 
who never yet has erred. Whatever may befall us, whatever 
hardship may strike us, His words: "I will not leave thee, 
neither will I forsake thee," will support us, fortify and com- 
fort us. We may hope with good reason that the Lord was 
a merciful Judge to our departed brother and received him 
into His kingdom. Let us pray. 



xc 

BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 
II 

(Death in Childbirth) 

Fear not, for I am with thee, for I am thy God: I have strengthened 
thee and have helped thee, and the right hand of My just one has upheld 
thee (Isa. XLI, 10). 

"A woman when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her 
hour is come, but when she has brought forth the child, she 
remember eth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is 
born into the world" (John XVI, 21). 

While our departed sister went through the anguish, it was, 
alas, not given to her to partake in the joy of which these 
words from Holy Scripture speak. Hardly had the young 
life been born into the world, when it was ordained for the 
mother to depart therefrom. But since she was fully prepared 
for a good death, we may hope that she is now partaking of the 
better joys of heaven. Yet, however happy her lot, there is 
a husband mourning his dutiful wife, children are deprived 
of a dear, faithful mother, the house has lost its beloved mis- 
tress, and the bereaved ask in the desolation of the soul: 
"Oh Lord, why hast Thou done this?" And the Lord replies 
in the sanctity of His word: "Fear not, for I am with thee, 
for I am thy God : I have strengthened thee, and have helped 
thee, and the right hand of My just one has upheld thee." 

This is the word of a Father to His children. It must impart 
steadfastness to the heart, and comfort and fortitude to the soul. 
It is not a vain promise, not an empty pledge; it is truth, a 

270 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 271 

real gift of grace and life. For the Lord gives and does what- 
ever He promises to give and to do: of this we are assured 
by Holy Writ: "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor as 
the Son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said 
then, and will not do? hath he spoken and will he not fulfil? " 
(Num. XXIII, 19). "And thou shalt know that the Lord 
thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping mercy to 
them that love him and keep his commandments" (Deut. 
VII, 9). 

Hence, my friends, dismiss the thoughts that bring gloom 
and sorrow to the heart. "I am with thee," in the days of 
distress and loneliness. "I am with thy body and thy soul, 
with thy work and thy ways. I keep a watchful eye on thee, 
day and night. Let thy faith not be confounded." "I am 
thy God, I will strengthen thee, and help thee, and the right 
hand of My justice will uphold thee." Let His word and His 
grace be sufficient unto you : " Blessed is he who hath God for 
his helper," who made heaven and earth and all things that 
are in them; who keepeth truth for ever " (Ps. CXLV, 5-7). 

Let us not be wanting, therefore, in confidence in God's 
fatherly kindness, but let us also not forget that He gives 
His graces only to those who love Him and keep His com- 
mandments. Let us submit in humility to His holy Will, 
let us love Him and keep His commandments, so that we also 
may get there, where, so we hope, she is abiding in safety, 
and where she is awaiting the joyous reunion with her beloved 
ones and with us all. Since, however, no one can enter heaven 
with even the least remnant of our human shortcomings, let 
us pray. 



XCI 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

III 

In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I have 
overcome the world (John XVI, 33). 

My dear husband and children, you have suffered, accord- 
ing to human judgment, a great and irreparable loss. Mutual 
love and faithfulness, and God's blessing upon your temporal 
affairs, had made of your house a home of peace and happiness. 
Now, suddenly the horizon of your life has become dark, and 
is clouded with anguish and mourning. Great is your grief, 
and we are desirous to speak some words that will comfort 
you. And for such words of true comfort we must go to the 
Scriptures, and one of the sayings of our Lord which seems to 
apply well in this case is: "In the world you shall have dis- 
tress: but have confidence, I have overcome the world." 

These words were spoken by One who suffered more and 
had more distress than any man on earth, by our divine Lord 
and Master, our Model and Example, our Mediator and Ad- 
vocate with the Father, our Helper and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
"In the world you shall have distress: but have confidence, I 
have overcome the world." Indeed, He has overcome the 
world, through the virtue of obedience to the Father, through 
His love for men. He performed His task until He could ex- 
claim: "It is consummated.' ' Through His bitter passion 
and death He ascended to glory, and has taken His place on 
the right hand of the Father, crowned with honour as the 
great Conquerer of sin and the world, of death and the grave. 

272 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 273 

And He overcame the world for all mankind, so that they 
who belong to Him need fear no more, as His victory is our 
victory also. 

No fear of distress, for He is with us, with His grace and 
strength to comfort us in our suffering. No fear of death, 
because those who believe in Him may say with the Apostle: 
"Christ is my life, to die is my gain." No fear of the hereafter, 
for He has gone to the Father's house, where there are many 
mansions, to prepare a place for us. 

Come, then, follow Him! His suffering is ended; so will 
yours end in Him and through Him. He will lend us His 
hand, so that we too may conquer, through His strength, all 
adversity and distress of the world. 

" In the world you shall have distress : but have confidence, 
I have overcome the world." You are in distress, my friends; 
great sorrow weighs upon your mind, and, I fear, will weigh 
upon your mind for some time to come. You have been thrown 
into profound grief, from which to rise will not be done so 
readily. A precious boon of life has been taken from you, 
but, in the anguish of your souls, turn to Him, who is the 
Light of the world, who will refresh all those who are worried 
and burdened; look up to Him, who is with us all days even 
unto the end of the world. Bear the burden He imposes upon 
you with resignation and patience. 

If you persevere in patience, and walk in the steps of the 
Saviour, then His peace will be with you and His word will 
be fulfilled: "Now all chastisement, for the present indeed, 
seemeth not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards 
it will yield, to them that are exercised by it, the most peace- 
able fruit of justice" (Heb. XII, 11). Let us pray for the 
departed, that this fruit of justice may be her portion. 



XCII 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

IV 

/ must work the works of him that sent me, whilst it is day: the night 
cometh, when no man can work (John IX, 4). 

Thus said our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and it is this 
thought which guided Him in His great and sublime task. 
We see Him untiring in the service of the Father, who had 
sent Him; we see Him in the ardour of His mission, to seek 
and save that which was lost. His earthly pilgrimage was a 
journey full of blessings. God's will was His aim, God's work 
His daily task, God's pleasure His joy, the glory of God His 
endeavour. "I must work the works of Him, that sent me, 
whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no one can work." 

The life and endeavour of the divine Lord was taken by our 
dear, deceased brother for the model which he tried to imitate. 
He was an industrious man, yet the main object of his labours 
was not to amass temporal goods, but, rather, to keep God's 
law and the commandments. What he earned through the 
blessing of the Lord in his industry and thrift, did not serve 
him for luxuries of life, but he used it for the education and 
training of his children. He was a good father and husband, 
fulfilling all his duties most faithfully. No less conscientious 
was he in his duties to his religion, mindful of the Saviour's 
word: "For what does it profit a man if he gain the whole 
world and suffer the loss of his own soul?" (Matt. XVI, 26). 
This was the keynote of his whole life. "I must work the 
works of him that sent me, whilst it is day : the night cometh, 
when no man can work." 

And night did come! He prepared for his death by repeat- 

274 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 275 

edly receiving the holy Sacraments, and he bore the suffer- 
ings of his sickness in devout resignation, until his eyes closed, 
and night came, "when no man can work." Night it is in his 
coffin, it is night in the grave, it is dark like night in your 
mourning hearts, yet a heavenly brightness is surrounding 
his immortal soul, which, we may hope, has entered ever- 
lasting glory. Eternal love has prepared a place for him in the 
Father's house, where there are many mansions, where he is now 
rejoicing in his God and in his Saviour. His soul is extolling 
the Lord for all the graces and benefits which God so graciously 
bestowed upon him during his earthly life, and he is praying 
for you, my friends, from whom he had to part so prematurely. 

Dear brethren, look up to the heights of heaven, and re- 
member that by death we do not lose those who are dear to 
us, they only go ahead of us. It is not a parting for ever, 
only a temporary absence. But lest your hope of a happy 
reunion be doomed to disappointment, take the words of the 
Saviour for your rule of life : " I must work the works of him 
that sent me, whilst it is day: the night cometh, when no 
man can work." You know your work, it is summarized in 
the words of Holy Writ : " Turn away from evil and do good " 
(Ps. XXXIII, 15). The evil will lead you to perdition, but 
doing good will earn you everlasting bliss. 

Let us then work the good work whilst it is day, and before 
the night cometh, when no man can work. When for us this 
night of death is to come, when all work for salvation ceases, 
we know not: "man knoweth not his own end." Hence, do 
not postpone from one day to another the preparation for a 
good death : the night may suddenly come when no man can 
work. "Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour 
you know not the Son of man will come," and, "Blessed is 
that servant, whom, when his Lord shall come, he shall find 
so doing" (Matt. XXIV, 44, 46). Now let us pray. 



XCIII 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 



Behold, I die t and God will be with you (Gen. XLVlil, 21). 

Dear friends, while the sight of death and the grave will 
always incline man to serious thought, there are cases when 
the bitterness of death becomes especially apparent, when 
we feel the sorrow of parting more than ever. Such is the 
present case. Before us are the earthly remains of one who 
was a model wife to her husband, who was the loving mother 
of small children, and as yet they have hardly a full concep- 
tion of the enormity of their loss. This is indeed a sad and 
sorrowful case, and we are sincerely desirous to offer a word 
of comfort. But where else can we look for comfort in such a 
sad case than in the Holy Scriptures, that inexhaustible and 
true source of all consolation? And there we find it, in the 
words of Jacob, who, when expiring, said to his children: 
"Behold, I die, and God will be with you." 

While these words may not remove the bitterness of death 
nor the sorrow of parting, they do tell us through whom we 
may overcome death and parting. 

1. "Behold, I die," said Jacob to his sons, as he was about 
to depart from this world. "Behold, I die," so might have 
said our departed sister. She desired to live longer, for the 
sake of her husband and of her beloved children. But God's 
ways are not our ways. In vain were all wishes and prayers 
for her recovery. The Lord had decreed the hour, and what 
God does is for the best. For, as the Prophet says: "He 
thinks only thoughts of peace towards us and not of affliction, 

276 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 277 

to give us an end and patience" (Jer. XXIX, 11). God often 
demands sacrifice from those He loves. Of Abraham He de- 
manded an only son, Isaac, and to this very day He comes 
to demand the sacrifice of those near and dear to us. It is 
done to direct our thoughts to heaven, to Him who has power 
over life and death. 

Often it is difficult for man to become reconciled to such 
visitations of Providence. Many a tear is shed when the 
words are spoken, "Behold, I die." Yet these words are 
full of consolation for the true Christian, for through death 
he is delivered from all hardship, toil, and trouble of this 
earth, from all suffering. This must be a comfort for the 
survivors; it must induce them to praise God even in such a 
great and crushing loss. They must leave their own feeling out 
of consideration and think solely of the deceased, of whom a 
Voice from heaven said, as revealed by St. John: "Blessed 
are the dead, who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, for 
their works will follow them" (Apoc. XIV, 13). 

Let it be your thought, too, my friends, that your dear wife, 
your dear mother, died in the Lord, in whom she confided and 
whom she endeavoured to imitate in patient suffering. This 
hope is the more justified, as she had prepared earnestly for 
a good death by devoutly receiving the holy Sacraments. 
Happy she, to have passed through death to eternal life ! 

2. True, if you consider your great loss, you have much 
reason to mourn. But be consoled by Jacob's farewell: 
"God will be with you." The Lord will not leave nor forsake 
you; He will protect you, for He has said: "Mountains shall 
be moved and the hills shall tremble: but My mercy shall 
not depart from thee, and the covenant of My peace shall not 
be moved: said the Lord that hath mercy on thee" 
(Isa. LIV, 10). 



278 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

He will lead and guide you, true to His name, because He 
is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father 
of the World to Come, the Prince of Peace" (Isa. IX, 6). 
He will be gracious to you, for the sake of His love; for "He 
that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for 
us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us all things?" 
(Rom. VIII, 32). As a father takes pity on his children, so 
does the Lord take pity on them that fear Him. He is the 
Father of all His children. His fatherly Heart knows all 
thy needs. His fatherly Eye will watch over thee and thy 
house. His fatherly hands will never fail to give thee true 
help. He will hear thy supplications, and the prayer of thy 
children, and give thee aid, and mercy, and comfort. 

Hence, take courage, bring up thy children in the fear and 
discipline of the Lord, raise them in the faith, in hope and 
charity, and never cease to prepare for the eternal life. Be 
faithful in preparing for thy own end, so that, when the Lord 
cometh and calleth thee to meet thy wife in the life beyond, 
thou wilt be found worthy to enter into the joy of the Lord. 

My dear friends, let us all prepare for our last hour; let us, 
like the wise virgins, be ready to meet the Bridegroom when 
He cometh. "Remember, that death is not slow, Seek ye 
the Lord while he may be found; call ye upon him while he 
is near; work out your salvation with fear and trembling" 
(Ecclus. XIV, 12). Now let us pray for the deceased, that 
the Lord may receive her into His kingdom. 



XCIV 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

VI 

He hath done all things well (Mark VII, 37). 

Dear friends, our deepest sympathy goes out to the be- 
reaved on this sad occasion, and we join them in supplicating 
God: Be thou, Oh Lord, their comfort and hope, their aid 
and succour. Comfort their anxious hearts in this great 
affliction, gird them with strength, that they may confess in 
the faith, and with submission to Thy holy will: "The Lord 
hath done all things well." 

Yes, the Lord does all things well. The dear departed is re- 
lieved of all burdens, and is reaping now, so we may hope, 
the reward for her faithfulness on earth. "The Lord hath 
done all things well": He has removed this pious mother, 
after her suffering, to peace and everlasting glory. 

With regard to yourselves, my friends, let me remind you 
of the words of the Psalmist: "Commit thy way unto the 
Lord; trust also in him: and he will do it" (Ps. XXXVI, 5). 
The God of all love will not forsake you. Trust in His prom- 
ise: "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be re- 
moved: but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither 
shall the covenant of my peace be moved" (Isa. LIV. 10). 
You have the satisfaction of knowing that you did faithfully 
and loyally everything for her that dutiful and loving chil- 
dren can and should do for their mother: you have the con- 
soling hope, that after her many trials and sufferings she is 
now received into the joy of the Lord: you have, further- 

279 



280 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

more, the reassuring certainty that the gracious and mer- 
ciful God will not cease in His care for you. Although 
sorrow has now fallen to your lot, you may be confident that 
the Lord will fulfil in you His promise: "I will not leave thee, 
neither will I forsake thee." Build upon this promise, and 
cling to this word. Honour the memory of your dear mother, 
by following in her steps, by faithfully doing your duties, and 
by walking before the Lord in sincere piety. Pray for your 
departed parents, that they may see the glory of God. Espe- 
cially do I exhort and ask the older of you, to watch over 
your younger brothers and sisters, to care for them, to direct 
them by word and example to the path of righteousness. 
Then the Lord will not take away His blessing from you, and 
your sorrow will change into gladness. 

Above all, take to heart the exhortation: "Brethren, be of 
one mind, have peace, and the God of peace and of love shall 
be with you" (2. Cor. XIII, 11). Let love and harmony 
soothe your sorrow, let union gird you with the strength to 
bear the burdens imposed upon you by God. Form this 
resolution here, at the grave of your dear mother, and raise 
your heart in prayer and gratitude to Him, who, so we hope, 
has brought this pilgrim, weary from the burden of her days 
on earth, to the heavenly home. Let us pray. 



xcv 

BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

VII 

Peace be to you (John XX, 19). 

My dear friends, again it has come to pass that robust 
health has quickly given way to disease and death. Plunged 
into deep grief is this family, and the grief is the deeper be- 
cause death was not expected so soon in a life so full of vigour 
and energy. The deceased was a true man; he enjoyed both 
respect and confidence. He pursued his objects in life with 
rare skill and perseverance. Yet he never became neglectful 
in his religious duties; he regularly attended church and re- 
ceived the holy Sacraments, and, ably assisted by his de- 
voted wife, he insisted in their home upon Christian disci- 
pline and conduct, for he recognized that the sterling virtue, 
which is victorious in the struggle of life and steadfast in 
temptation, is a fruit that ripens only on the soil of a firm 
belief and in the fear of God. For his wife and children he 
had the tenderest love. His most ardent wish, and the aim 
of all his efforts in business, were to make, with God's help 
and blessing, their life care-free and happy, and the Lord has 
graciously made him thrive and prosper. It is easy to under- 
stand, therefore, the grief of his people, and where can they 
look for consolation but to Him, who has left us His comfort 
in the words : " Peace be with you "? 

It was with this greeting of peace that He, on the day of the 
Resurrection, suddenly stood in the midst of His disciples. 
"Peace be with you !" Be of good cheer, dismiss the thoughts 

281 



282 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

of fear and anxiety. You, too, my friends, are included in 
this greeting of the Lord. They are not idle words. The 
Prince of Peace addresses them to you. 

Check your sadness; fear not! This death is not a pun- 
ishment, though it is a trial. While his heart has ceased to 
beat, and his protection is no more for you, the Heart of the 
Lord is gracious to you and will remain so, His love shall 
protect you throughout life. He will not leave you; you 
will experience His guidance and receive His help. His 
blessing will dwell with you. "Peace be to you!" 

Pray, then, that the divine Prince of Peace may come 
amongst you, and give you the peace that the world can 
neither give nor take away. In Him you will find the strength 
to bear this distress with patience and in confidence. And if 
you steadily walk the path of the commandments, then this 
peace will abide with you. For it is written: "Much peace 
have they that love thy law" (Ps. CXVIII, 165). 

"Peace be to you!" Lord, give us Thy peace! Let us 
partake of Thy grace and of Thy mercy, that we may be- 
come and remain Thy true children, that we may pass our 
life in Thy service, and be received finally into Thy eternal 
kingdom of glory! 

Peace be to you, and peace be also to the deceased! Let 
him, Oh Lord, find peace with Thee, Thou who art the God 
of peace. Receive him into Thy kingdom, and grant him, in 
consideration of his faithful stewardship and of his suffering, 
the joy and glory of heaven. Let us pray. 



XCVI 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

VIII 

Thou hast appointed his bounds, which cannot be passed (Job XIV, 5). 

The days of man are subject to God's dispensation. On 
His Will depend their beginning, their continuance, their end. 
"The days of men are short," says pious Job, "and the num- 
ber of his months is with thee: thou hast appointed his bounds, 
which cannot be passed." 

In these words, my friends, there is a rich source of consola- 
tion, whenever a dear member of a family has died, when our 
hearts are filled with sorrow. God, in His wisdom, justice, 
and kindness, has decreed this death. He has appointed the 
hour of all of us, according to laws the aim of which is our 
true welfare. Whether we shall die soon or late, sudden or 
after sickness, at home or abroad — all these things and their 
circumstances are foreseen by God, our kind Father. He has 
appointed everything for our best, and for the best for those 
dear to us. This thought should moderate our grief for the 
dear departed, but it should also induce in us a wise disposi- 
tion of our own life. 

Since God ordains our fate, far be it from us to argue with 
Him! Would it not be ingratitude towards our greatest 
Benefactor to doubt His love for us, to object to His ways, to 
try and dictate to Him what means to adopt for our good? 
Far from us be such ingratitude! "Commit thy way to the 
Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it." Let us leave it 

283 



284 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

to His wisdom to decide what is good for us, let us leave it 
to His love what He will send us, let us leave it to His power 
what to decree, and, whether it be joy or sorrow, health or 
sickness, life or death, let us accept it willingly and grate- 
fully; for "we know that to them who love God all things 
work together unto good" (Rom. VIII, 28). 

Since God ordains our fate, it is our duty to manifest our 
homage in pious obedience. Were we the masters of our days 
of life, then we might make use of them as we please : then the 
rich man might rightfully say: "My money shall provide for 
me all the joys and pleasures of the world; " the glutton might 
say: "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die" (1. 
Cor. XV, 32), and so on. But such is not the case; we are in 
God's hand with all we are and own. "For none of us liveth 
to himself: and no man dieth to himself," says the Apostle; 
"for whether we live, we live unto the Lord: or whether we 
die, we die unto the Lord. Therefore, whether we live, or 
whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Rom. XIV, 7, 8). There- 
fore we must live for the glory of God, for He has made us. 
"Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is all man" 
(Eccl. XII, 13). Aye, He shall be our life, we will keep His 
commandments, we will endeavour to deserve His grace all 
our days, to the moment of our death. 

When death will happen, no one knows but God, but we 
do know that once we shall reap the fruit of our sowing in 
this life, that everybody will be judged according to his works. 
"For what things a man shall sow," says the Apostle, "those 
also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh 
also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, 
of the spirit shall reap life everlasting" (Gal. VI, 8). It means 
that he who gives way to his passions and commits deeds of 
sin shall reap death and the ruin of eternal damnation; but 
they who, animated by the Holy Ghost, conform to His 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 285 

direction and are doing good, they shall enter the joy of the 
Lord. 

Since, then, the hour of our death is known to God alone, 
since, moreover, our fate in eternity depends on the fact 
whether our death be good or evil, should we not at all times 
be intent on preparing for a good death? We know what will 
happen if death were to carry us off in sin. " When the wicked 
man is dead, there shall be no hope any more," says Holy 
Writ (Prov. XI, 7). The Lord, the just Judge, will say: "And 
the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the exterior darkness. 
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. XXV, 
30). 

Our departed brother had the privilege to prepare for death 
by receiving the holy Sacraments. Whether this grace will 
be our part also, we do not know. Hence, dear friends, inas- 
much as the Lord alone ordains our fate, inasmuch as joy 
and sorrow, life and death, are coming from His hand, let us 
submit to His dispensation in humility, and let us say, in 
happy days and in adversities, "The Lord hath done all things 
well." Let us avoid sin so as to escape an evil death; let us 
do good and we shall not appear empty-handed before the 
Judgment. Let us live so that we may hear the words: 
"Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many 
things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matt. XXV, 21). 
Let us pray for the deceased. 



XCVII 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

IX 

For we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come 
(Heb. XIII, 14). 

Deak friends, there are heavy trials in this life, and an in- 
stance of them is the occasion of our gathering here. In such 
trials the heart is inclined to lament bitterly, forgetting that 
everything is ordained and directed for our best by God's 
holy Wisdom. Hence, we must not so much consider the 
earthly life which the deceased has left, but the eternal life 
which he has begun. Our life on earth would be truly discon- 
solate if we had no other life to expect. Then we might well 
despair, if, after much hardship and struggle, death comes 
at the very moment when we just begin to taste the sweetness 
of life, when our experience has gained for us wisdom and pru- 
dence. If, however, we remember the true object of lif e and the 
life hereafter, we understand, and we confess: "The Lord has 
done all things well! " Since it is the part of wisdom and pru- 
dence to bear always in mind the ultimate object of our life, 
we must never forget the words of the Apostle: "We have not 
here an everlasting city, but we seek one to come." 

1. Indeed, everything we see here indicates that we have 
no lasting place here. Everything surrounding us reminds us 
that earthly things are transitory, and suggests forcibly the 
truth: "We have not here a lasting city." "Man born of 
woman," says Job (XIV, 1, 2), "living for a short time, is 
filled with many miseries. Who cometh forth like a flower 
and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow and never continueth 

286 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 287 

in the same state." You need but glance around you. So 
many of our kin, friends, and neighbours are gone, and resting 
in their grave; and we know that their fate will be ours. Not 
only does God's wisdom hold up to our eyes these instances 
of transientness to remind us of our frailty, He warns us thereof 
also by the changes in our own body. We were once young 
and full of vigour, but as age advances, the vigour is going. 
We are now hale and hearty, but we are often attacked by some 
illness or other, as a forceful reminder how unsafe our earthly 
mansion is. Another reminder of the great change to be 
brought about by death is given us by the vicissitudes of 
this life. Losing now this part, now that, of our possessions, 
it is a warning that we cannot count upon anything in this 
life with certainty, that ultimately we shall in death lose 
everything temporal. 

But has not God done wisely for us? The truth of our death 
is bound to make us cautious. "In all thy works remember 
thy last end," says Holy Writ, "and thou shalt never sin" 
(Ecclus. VII, 40). This truth will teach us not to set our 
heart too much on earthly things, not to make idols of them. 
"Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world," 
warns St. John. "If any man loveth the world, the charity 
of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world is the 
concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and 
the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
And the world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof: 
but he that doeth the will of God, abideth for ever" (John II, 
15-17). This truth is bound to comfort us in suffering and 
distress: "For that which is at present momentary and light 
of our tribulation," says St. Paul, "worketh for us above mea- 
sure exceedingly an eternal weight of glory" (2. Cor. IV, 17). 
Hence, however long our adversities in this life may last, 
eventually they will pass away, and an everlasting and im- 



288 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

perishable reward will be given to us if we have been faithful 
in the love and service of God. Hence, let us not ask, why 
is this life on earth so burdensome, so full of suffering, so short? 
but let us cling to the truth that we have here no everlasting 
city, but that we shall receive our share of happiness and bliss 
in the hereafter. 

2. This should urge us to seek the lasting city, namely, to 
prepare for the other life. Man likes not to think of death 
and eternity. He is too fond of this life to wish for its end. 
If his lot on earth were nothing but happiness, he would 
even more love this life, and death would appear to him even 
more dreadful. And who would then ever think of preparing 
for the hereafter? The Lord has wisely arranged it, that man 
is not only reminded of the vanity of lif e, but also that in the 
course of time he will get weary of life, even hoping for death. 
In this way God's wisdom not only diminishes the terror of 
death, but induces man to earnestly think of eternity, and to 
prepare for it. It is especially in adversity and suffering that 
he recognizes there is no lasting city for him here, nor en- 
during happiness, and he sets out to work his salvation. 
Disease and sickness are God's envoys to man, advising him: 
"Put thy house in order, for thou shalt die." Not until 
harassed by trouble and worry, will man usually be stirred 
out of his indifference, and be induced to meditate upon the 
condition of his soul, upon his account with God, upon his 
fate in the hereafter, and he will then be converted to the 
Lord. The righteous man will be moved by afflictions to per- 
severe in good, lest he forfeit the crown of life everlasting. 

Our departed brother was ever mindful of the word of the 
Apostle: "We have not here a lasting city, but we seek one 
that is to come." He prepared for a good death by a Christian 
life and by receiving the holy Sacraments. Hence, we may 
hope that he has received the crown of glory. However, let 
us pray. 



XCVIII 
BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 



It is appointed unto men once to die (Heb. IX, 27). 

What an immense power death has over mankind! How 
numerous are his victims! What abundance of sadness is 
caused by death! Crushing are the blows, and grievous the 
losses, inflicted by death. Death spares not rank, age, nor 
condition. The mighty are helpless against its power: all 
the possessions of a rich man will not buy for him immunity 
from death; the infant in the cradle, the youth in his bloom, 
the man in the prime of life — they all fall a prey to death as 
readily as the aged. Death forces its entrance into all homes, 
knocking at the mansion of the rich and at the hut of the poor, 
and wherever death enters there are sorrows and tears, there 
are wailing and misery. But few see in death a saving angel, 
who comes to change sadness into joy, to put an end to frailty 
and debility, to misery and anxiety: most men look upon 
death as a horror, changing joy into sorrow; for here death 
cuts asunder a happy union, there children become orphans: 
it deprives parents of sons and daughters: it parts brothers 
and sisters, friends and comrades. 

This cruel visitor has now entered the circle of your family, 
my dear friends. In this instance, too, death has triumphed 
over faithful love and care, over medical skill, and now we are 
about to consign these earthly remains to the earth. We do 
it with sadness, and moved by the deepest sympathy for the 
bereft. But we do it as is befitting Christians, who are pos- 

289 



290 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

sessed of the comfort, the hope, and the promises contained 
in the gospel : we do it resigned to God's holy Will, and in our 
hope in Him who has said: "I am the resurrection and the life: 
he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live" 
(John XXV, 11). 

In the light of the gospel of Christ, we know that death is 
not annihilation, but rather our transition to a better and more 
perfect life; we know the happy unions established here in 
the name of the Lord, and sanctified through the love for 
Him, are by death not for ever torn asunder, but only parted 
for a short period, to be reestablished in the hereafter for all 
eternity. We know that He who woundeth also healeth. In 
this life there is weeping, but in the life beyond the tears 
will be wiped away of those who have lived in Christ and who 
died in the Lord. Here we hear lamentations; but for the 
true confessors of Christ all plaint will cease in the hereafter. 

Shall we begrudge, then, our dear ones, who have died a 
blessed death, their rest, their peace, and their bliss, to which 
they are introduced by death? By a good death they can 
only gain, no matter what temporal goods they had here. 
In heaven there are the eternal treasures for good Christians; 
there is the perfect happiness, the enjoyment of beatitude 
in the communion with God. On earth there are unrest, 
worry, suffering, but none of these things will touch those 
that in heaven enjoy eternal happiness. 

Let us, therefore, change our plaint into gratitude, our 
grief into cheerful hope, whenever we are standing at the 
grave of a Christian, of whom we can say: "He has fought a 
good fight, he has kept the faith, he has finished his course 
in the peace of God. For him to die is gain; and the Lord 
will render to him the crown of justice and of life eternal." 
And while we are comforted in our grief by the thought of 
the crown of life, which will be given to those who have died 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 291 

in the love of God, let us now firmly resolve to care conscien- 
tiously for our own immortal soul: let us aim at becoming 
rich in good works, so that we may be prepared for our last 
hour, whether it come soon or late, and that we may confide 
in the promise: "Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord. 
From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may rest 
from their labours; for their works follow them" 
(Apoc. XIV, 13). 

Most gracious and merciful God, let this occasion of mourn- 
ing become a blessing for us in time and eternity! Let our 
departed brother rejoice in Thy sight! Give him Thy peace, 
and fill with consolation the souls of those who mourn his 
loss. Let the widow and orphans be commended to Thy care 
and protection: guide them, and all of us, according to Thy 
counsel, and finally receive them and us all into Thy kingdom, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us pray. 



XCIX 
BUKIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

XI 

To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan 
(Ps. X, 14). 

My dear friends, if anything is apt to stir our hearts to 
deepest sympathy, it is without doubt the sight of orphaned 
children in tender age, without a guide, adviser, and pro- 
vider, at an age, indeed, when they need most the direction 
and the care of loving and loyal hearts. This sad sight is 
before us here, and our hearts are filled with deepest sympathy. 
These children have lost both parents, they are left alone in a 
cold world in which even the experienced and strong find so 
many difficulties. It is only a few years since they lost their 
father, and now we are about to consign to the grave the 
earthly remains of their mother. 

In view of her Christian life and of her holy death, we do 
not doubt that she has been received into the mansions of 
the Lord. But here are the children, orphaned and forsaken. 
We ask who will care for them, and we find a comfortimg 
answer in the gospel. The God of love is and remains the 
Father of all His children. Since He feeds the birds of the 
air, and clothes the lilies of the field, how much more will 
He care for those whom He has created after His image, and 
whom He has destined for eternal glory! Their mother will 
pray before His throne, that He may bless the dear little 
children she had to part from, and He will not close His ear 
to her supplications. The Lord will move the hearts, that 

292 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 293 

they will take a loving interest in these orphans. You, my 
friends, you will surely take an interest in these children, 
for "Religion, clean and undefiled before God and the Father, 
is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation 
and to keep one's self unspotted from this world" (Jas. I, 
27). Remember the promise of the Saviour: "Whosoever 
shall receive such child in my name, receiveth me" (Luke 
IX, 48). Here, at the grave of the departed mother, pledge 
yourself to God, to care for these forsaken orphans, and to 
raise them, by word and example, in the fear of God. May 
God bless your efforts, may He bless your love and loyalty, 
and may He let the children, in memory for their pious mother, 
walk the path of piety and godliness, so that when their own 
earthly career is at an end they may be reunited with their 
good parents in joy everlasting. 

To Thee, Oh Lord, we commend these orphaned children! 
Lead and guide them, train them for Thy heaven; let the loss 
they have suffered, the enormity of which they are not able 
to grasp, turn into a blessing and a profit for their souls ! 

As for us, let us keep mindful of our frailty, that we devote 
ourselves anew to God's service; that we may lead a Christian 
life, die a blessed death, and inherit in time the life everlasting. 
Let us pray for the deceased. 



c 

BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 

XII 

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matt. XXII, 32). 

We have come, my friends, to bury the earthly remains of 
our departed brother. We are moved by strongest sympathy 
for those now deprived of a father, a husband, and provider. 
The thought, moreover, of having lost such an excellent man 
from our circle also fills our hearts with sadness. The deceased 
surely was an excellent man, in the fullest sense of the word. 
He proved it in all the circumstances of his life. A good and 
faithful husband, a loving and conscientious father, and one 
who to his friends was a loyal and honest friend. The com- 
munity has lost in him an honourable member, intelligent and 
industrious in his business : the congregation has lost a faithful 
Christian, who was never afraid to show his religious convic- 
tion and who faithfully lived up to it. He appeared frequently 
at the holy table of the Lord, and prepared for a good death 
by devoutly receiving the holy Sacraments. He suffered in 
his sickness with patient resignation to God's holy Will. How, 
indeed, can we help feeling sad and sorrowful? 

Yet, we must not forget to offer to God that humble sub- 
mission to His holy decree and Will which Christians must 
practise under all circumstances. The Lord does all things 
well. For, whatever happens to us on earth happens by the 
decree of the same God whom Jesus Christ revealed to us as 
the God of love, whom we call Father, unworthy though we 



BURIALS OF MARRIED PERSONS 295 

are. We are not ruled by blind fate, but by a wise and gra- 
cious God, who, in all His dispensations, decrees only that 
which is for our salvation, though His ways are often inscrut- 
able to our short-sightedness. 

Our friend was recalled by the gracious Father in Heaven; 
and, however great our sorrow, we know by the gospel that 
death is not the end of his existence, not the destruction of 
his life, it is only the transition to a better life, to the world 
of glory, which is our true country, and for which we all should 
aim in our pilgrimage on earth. Hence, from this grave, 
ready to receive the earthly and corruptible remains of our 
friend, we raise our eyes to the bright heights of heaven, where 
he, so we may hope, is rejoicing among the blessed. We con- 
sole ourselves with the thought : He is with his Lord, who also 
is our Lord. He has preceded his beloved ones, and they will 
follow him, sooner or later. 

Hence, my friends, do not mourn like those who have no 
hope, but mourn like Christians, believing in Him who has 
overcome death, and who has brought us lif e and immortality. 
You, my children, remember there is a God in heaven, who 
will care for you, who will console you, guide you and provide 
for you, fulfilling in you His promise: "I will not leave thee, 
neither will I forsake thee." 

Honour the memory of the departed and promise right here, 
to God and to yourselves, to walk in his steps, leading a Chris- 
tian life, for this is the best way to honour his memory, and 
worthy of the blessing of the Lord. 

Let us all resolve at this grave, to be true disciples and fol- 
lowers of Christ, to keep the faith, to fight a good fight, so that, 
after having finished our course in the fear of God, we may 
be deemed worthy to enter into His joy. Let us pray for 
the deceased. 



CI 

BURIALS OF PRIESTS 



Be thou faithful until death: and I will give thee the crown of life 

(Apoc. n, 10). 

This was the message sent by Jesus through St. John to 
the Bishop of Smyrna. He was a worthy Bishop, guiding 
his faithful to salvation by teaching and example, indifferent 
to the slander and ridicule of his enemies. He was very 
poor and had many troubles, with even more and greater 
ones in prospect. Hence, Jesus sent him this message to 
comfort him, and to gird him with strength: "Be thou faith- 
ful until death: and I will give thee the crown of life." 

This same message was sent by Jesus to this departed mem- 
ber of the ministry. Even at his Baptism he received this 
message of the Lord: "Be thou faithful"; then, as he grew 
up, and entered upon his studies, the message was again: 
"Be thou faithful," make good use of thy time, to become 
a worthy priest of the Church. Then when, as newly ordained 
priest, he received his first assignment, again he heard the 
words: "Be thou faithful," lest thou be condemned while 
preaching salvation to others. 

And this same message is addressed by Jesus to everyone 
of us: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the 
crown of life." Death will overcome all of us, sooner or later. 
"It is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. IX, 27). No 
one is certain of his life, not even for one single hour: "there 
is but one step between me and death," said King David. 

296 



BURIALS OF PRIESTS «97 

To almost all men death comes sooner than they expect, and 
then all the glory of this world is at an end. The king lays 
down his crown, the bishop his staff. Even the wealthiest 
can take to his grave no more than the four boards of his 
coffin and a shroud. Different is the soul. It takes with it 
the merits of a faithful, Christian life. The deceased was a 
dear friend of mine, as he was of yours. A great deal might 
be said of his zealous work in the vineyard of the Lord, of his 
personal, sterling qualities, yet his wish was, not to be praised, 
but to be an instrument in God's hand for the benefit of others. 
Let us, then, for our edification, and in his honour, contem- 
plate his stanch Christian faith, and let us consider: 

1. Of what does the Christian faith consist; and, 

2. What is its reward. 

1. St. John admonishes us: "Be thou faithful unto death." 
To be faithful means, to keep our word, our promise. Hence, 
our Christian faith consists in keeping our promise to adhere 
to the word of God, to live and to act according to His pre- 
cepts, to fear God, to love God more than anyone and any- 
thing else, and to love the neighbour as one's self, and, doing 
so, to work out our salvation. 

We have all given this promise. We have given it when we 
were baptized, our sponsors answering in our name. We, 
again, have given this promise before our first Holy Com- 
munion by reaffirming our baptismal vow, and at our Confir- 
mation. Moreover, every time we go to Confession, we prom- 
ise to reform our life, and not to sin again. And at this very 
moment, when reminded so forcibly of the vanity of every- 
thing temporal, let us renew our promise to cleave faithfully 
to God and to Jesus Christ, whom He sent for our salvation, 
and to pursue, first of all, the kingdom of God and His justice. 

It is our duty to worship Jesus as the Son of God, to wor- 



298 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ship God in the spirit and in truth, to avoid sin, and to keep 
God's commandments. He who fails to do this is unfaithful, he 
is faithless; but he who does all this has the true Christian 
faith, and lives in it. This Christian faith was zealously prac- 
tised by our departed reverend friend. He confessed Christ 
as the Son of God, He worshipped God, publicly as well as in 
the solitude of his room. Jesus said, the world will know His 
disciples by their love for one another, and was not our 
friend's heart full of love for man? He was kind, and his ten- 
derness of heart, his modesty, friendliness, and meekness 
made him popular with everyone; they made him respected 
and beloved by both priests, and people. 

But we — have we lived hitherto in the Christian faith? 
Was our belief firm, have we been mindful of God always and 
everywhere? Did we pray to Him, did we fear Him, did we 
thank Him for the many benefits received? Did we confide 
in His providence, and have we been resigned when He de- 
creed for us crosses and sufferings? Did we think and say: 
"The Lord has done all things well"? Did we keep the 
commandments ? 

Alas, of only too many of those who are Catholics in name, 
it cannot be said that they practise the Christian faith in all 
things. 

It is true, my dear friends, the Christian faith is exacting. 
It exacts continued vigilance; it exacts self-denial and morti- 
fication. "If any man will come after me," says Jesus, "let 
him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me" 
(Matt. XVI, 24). Yet, while the demands of the Christian 
faith are great, the reward for the faithful Christian is even 
greater. 

2. "Be thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the 
crown of life." 

The reward of the faithful Christian is eternal life, ever- 



BURIALS OF PRIESTS 299 

lasting bliss, whereof St. Paul says, that "eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, 
what things God has prepared for them that love him" 
(1. Cor. II, 9). 

And Christian faith is rewarded even in this life. True, our 
faith is beset with hardship and self-denial, but the Christian 
who takes for his model Jesus, the Author and Finisher of 
faith (Heb. XII, 2), and tries to walk in His steps, finds his 
reward within himself, for he enjoys the peace which the 
world cannot give nor take away. "Much peace have they 
that love thy law," says the Psalmist (CXVIII, 165), "and 
to them there is no stumbling-block." The faithful Christian 
looks up to heaven and cries: "Abba, Father" (Rom. VIII, 
15). He is satisfied with the dispensations of Providence, he 
fears no one and trusts in the Lord: he is not cast down by 
tribulation and distress, nor is he even afraid of death and 
eternity : he sees in death the messenger of peace, who comes 
to conduct him to a better world. This is the reward of the 
true Christian here on earth, but God will give him an even 
greater reward, the everlasting, blessed life. 

Jesus Christ promised: "Your reward is very great in 
heaven" (Matt. V, 12), and "The just shall go into life ever- 
lasting" (Ibid. XXV, 46). He now repeats this promise: "I 
will give thee the crown of life." Hence our Christian faith 
will be rewarded with a most glorious reward, with blessed 
immortality, with an indestructible crown. 

This reward, so we may hope, has been received by our de- 
parted reverend friend. The Lord called him and said to him : 
" Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things : 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. XXV, 21). We 
all shall receive this reward if we are faithful Christians, and 
true disciples of Christ. 



300 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Let us, therefore, strive and struggle, and exert all our 
strength, lest we forfeit this reward, this indestructible crown 
of life. What is human life? It is short and insecure, little 
satisfaction can its possessions, its honours and pleasures, 
afford the heart. Solomon had the fulness of earthly posses- 
sions, and yet he exclaimed: "Vanity of vanities and all is 
vanity " (Eccl. 1, 2) . Indeed, were man not created for eternity, 
were his promised reward not the happiness of heaven, then 
this earthly life would be truly wretched. 

Life here is the beginning, eternity is the completion and 
perfection. Hence, let us strive for the crown of everlasting 
life. Let us remember: "Be thou faithful unto death." If 
we practise our faith, mindful of this word, then the promise 
of the Saviour will be fulfilled: "I will give thee the crown of 
life." 

And thou, Oh Lord, give to our deceased friend the crown 
of life! Forgive his weaknesses, for he was human. Give him 
the crown of life and help us with Thy power, that we too may 
practise the faith and become deserving of the crown of ever- 
lasting glory. Amen. 



CII 
BURIALS OF PRIESTS 

II 

He was beloved of God and inert, whose memory is in benediction 
(Ecclus. XLV, 1). 

If I had not known before that this priest was a good, holy, 
and zealous man, I might learn it by a glance at this assembly, 
at the general sympathy manifested in the grief of your coun- 
tenances, and by the tears in so many eyes. 

All this proves that he was revered as a father, a benefactor, 
and a friend of the people of this parish. Yes, indeed, we have 
buried a worthy servant of God. He combined the qualities 
of a good shepherd and of a kind and loyal father of his people. 
He was a pious priest at the altar, in the pulpit a zealous 
preacher of the gospel, in the confessional a sympathetic ad- 
viser, at the sick-bed a loving comforter, in his private life an 
exalted example for his flock, in brief, a priest who admin- 
istered all the duties of his office with the greatest com- 
punction, who, like St. Paul, knew no desire other than to 
win all men for Christ and to save them. To him may truly be 
applied the praise bestowed on Moses by the Spirit of the 
Lord: "He was beloved of God and men, whose memory is in 
benediction." 

Truly, dear brethren, the memory of your blessed priest 
should never fade in your souls, should never depart from 
your memory, and should remain a blessing for you by in- 
ducing you to follow his example. 

To make the memory of this excellent priest such a blessing, 

301 



302 FUNEEAL ADDRESSES 

you must think of him often, call to mind the wholesome 
teachings, admonitions, and warnings he gave you during his 
ministry, and endeavour to put them into practice. 

I am sure that he has exhorted you often to trust in God, 
to trust in Jesus the Son of God, to trust in the help of the 
Holy Ghost. Remember these exhortations and take them 
to heart. Trust in God, the heavenly Father, to whom we owe 
everything that is good and perfect, who has loved us so as 
to give His only Begotten Son, that those who believe in Him 
may not perish, but may have life everlasting. Trust in 
Christ, because there is not salvation except in Him, nor can 
man become blessed in any name but in the Name of Jesus 
Christ. Trust in the grace of the Holy Ghost, for He helps 
our weakness; from Him we derive the will to do good, and 
the power to accomplish it. Do not fear men, they can harm 
only the body, but fear God, who may condemn you, body 
and soul, to eternal misery. Love the Lord, for He is Love 
Supreme, and He alone is truly worthy to be loved. Do not 
seek happiness here in things that are idle and perishable, but 
there, where alone it can be found, in God. Love your 
neighbour for the sake of God, and live with him in harmony 
and peace : for where there are love, peace, and harmony, there 
is God, who is the God of love and peace, but where there 
prevail dissension, discord, and hatred, there is the evil 
spirit. 

Follow, then, the teachings which our deceased friend has 
given in general, but do also zealously as he advised each of 
you individually. Upon you, dear parents, he enjoined the 
strict supervision over your children, lest these souls should 
be lost through your fault. "But if any man have not care 
of his own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied 
the faith and is worse than an infidel," says the Apostle 
(1. Tim. V, 8). He who is righteous is righteous also in his 



BURIALS OF PRIESTS 303 

own home. How can you raise your children in virtue if you 
do not set them a good example? 

Our departed friend has no doubt taken especial care to 
enjoin upon the younger members of the parish to preserve 
modesty, propriety, and chastity, to avoid bad company and 
the occasion for sin, so as not to be ensnared by seducers. 
Oh, do not forget these admonitions, lest you lose your most 
beautiful ornament, your most precious treasure, your inno- 
cence and purity of heart! 

Our departed friend exhorted you, my dear young chil- 
dren, to be obedient and God-fearing. Hence, preserve his 
words in your heart and act accordingly. Fear God, and 
obey your parents ! 

Let his words of advice be indelibly impressed upon your 
heart and memory, strive zealously to put them in practice. 
Thus you will do real honour to the memory of your spiritual 
father, whose loss you are mourning, and his memory will be 
a blessing for you. "He was beloved of God and men, whose 
memory is a benediction. " 

But there is another duty for you to fulfil for your departed 
priest: you must pray for the peace of his soul. True, in view 
of his exemplary life, spent in the exercise of Christian virtue, 
in the conscientious performance of his duties, and in a careful 
preparation for death, the hope is warranted that he has 
been received into the kingdom of the blessed; but, my 
friends, where is a man whose life is so pure as to stand the 
scrutiny of Him who detects flaws even in His angels? 

Let us offer, for his eternal rest, the fruits of the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass at the same altar where he offered the 
Holy Sacrifice so often for you. Let us pray for him here, 
where he has prayed so many times for you. Let us pray. 



cm 

BURIALS OF PRIESTS 

III 

Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me (Apoc. XXII, 12). 

A faithful labourer in the vineyard of the Lord, who has 
borne patiently the burden and the heat of the day, has been 
called to his reward. He has found his rest in the very ceme- 
tery where he has given the last blessing to so many others 
who died before him. The thought of the life, and the all too 
early death of this priest of God fills our hearts with sadness. 

Our divine Saviour once said: "The harvest indeed is 
great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord 
of harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest" 
(Matt. IX, 37-38). Here there is a zealous labourer taken 
away. An untiring worker he was, for the salvation of souls. 
His conscientious care included the little children, to whom 
he zealously taught faith and virtue; it included the young 
people, whom he endeavoured to warn against the dangers 
of the world and against its snares. You all witnessed his 
ardour in preaching the divine Word from the pulpit. With 
scrupulous zeal he followed St. Paul's admonition: "Preach 
the word; be instant in season, out of season: reprove, en- 
treat, rebuke, in all patience and doctrine." In the confes- 
sional he worked indefatigably for the conversion of souls, 
urging on them the words of the Apostle: " Be reconciled 
to God." 

Of utmost importance is the moment when the Christian 
departs from this life; then the word of the Holy Writ is 

304 



BURIALS OF PRIESTS 305 

fulfilled: "Where the tree has fallen, there it remains lying." 
For this reason this faithful servant of the Lord hastened at any- 
time, day and night, to the side of those dangerously sick, to 
comfort them, to strengthen their patience, to turn their 
hearts toward God, to kindle in their souls the spark of re- 
pentance and love of God, so that their death might be holy. 

His favourite place was before the Most Holy Sacrament. 
There he laid his supplications at the feet of Jesus, there he 
commended the souls entrusted to him to the love and mercy 
of Jesus, and to the intervention of the Blessed Virgin. There 
he prayed for you, my dear people, and for the entire Church. 

Thus he worked, unremittingly, in the vineyard of the 
Lord for the salvation of souls, but he did not neglect his own 
salvation, lest, in the words of the Apostle, he might lose his 
own soul whilst preaching to others. 

His life was edifying, and so was his death. Would that 
we all had his patience in sufferings, his resignation in God's 
holy Will! 

We have lost much by the death of this good priest. You feel 
it deeply; hence your grief, your tears. But, my beloved, this 
priest will live, although he is dead. The seed he has sown will 
still spring up after his death; what he has planted will grow, 
thrive, and bring forth fruit. Keep his memory alive. You 
can do it best by obeying the words he has spoken to you, 
by walking the path he has shown you. Thank God for the 
blessing that he left in your parish, preserve this blessing. 

The departed is now, so we may hope, in heaven. A 
faithful servant, he was recalled by the Lord from the burden 
of the day, to receive his reward. On him the promise of the 
divine Lord has been fulfilled: "Behold, I come quickly, and 
my reward is with me." 

This faithful labourer is gone to rest; he has entered into 
the joy of his Lord, whom he served so faithfully. Yet, of 



306 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

the priest who has been set over much, much will be demanded. 
God's judgment is severe. Hence, dear friends, in your 
prayers do not forget him, who daily remembered you in his 
prayer, and in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Show that 
you are really his friends, do not forget him, visit his grave 
now and then. Let us now commend his soul to the mercy 
of God. 



CIV 

FOR THE BURIAL OF A TEACHER 

As every man has received grace, ministering the same, one to an- 
other as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1. Pet. IV, 10). 

Dear friends, the order in the kingdom of God is that one 
must minister to the other, not because of earthly reward, 
but because of Him "who is not come to be ministered unto, 
but to minister," and "who became obedient unto death, even 
the death of the cross" (Phil. II, 8). It is not so much the 
magnitude of the service that counts, but the good faith in 
which the service is rendered, and loyalty. Without fear of 
contradiction I may say of our departed friend, that in his 
profession as teacher he ministered to this community faith- 
fully and to the best of his ability. Faithfulness is more 
than talent, ability cannot replace faithfulness. He was 
faithful in his duties and laboured hard to impart useful 
knowledge to the children, to make of them honourable men 
and good Christians. He was no less conscientious in fulfilling 
his duties to his family. And faithful as he was to the com- 
munity and to his family, so faithful was he to God, whose 
commandments were the rule of his life. Thus he set a good 
example to his family and pupils, and we all lose in him a 
true friend, who was to us an example in righteousness. Hence 
we may hope that the Lord has given him the reward promised 
to faithful servants: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
give thee a crown of life" (Apoc. II, 10). Our departed friend 
little expected that his grave would be dug so soon. Nor do 
we know whose turn will be next. Hence take to heart the 
warning: "As every man hath received the gift, even so min- 

S07 



308 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

ister the same to one another, as good stewards of the manifold 
grace of God." 

This admonition applies to all of us, young or old: "As 
every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same, 
one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of 
God." The things we acquire by industry and skill will not 
accompany us before the judgment of the Lord; we shall be 
accompanied only by our works, the works which we practised 
for the love of God and for the sake of Christ, and evil ones, 
done in the service of sin. The good deeds will bring us eter- 
nal life, the others eternal damnation. 

Let us all be faithful stewards of the manifold graces which 
have been bestowed upon us by God, so that we may work 
out our salvation: let us minister one to another for the sake 
of Christ, each with the gifts he has received. Would that 
we all could say: "Lord, thou didst deliver to me five talents: 
behold, I have gained other five over and above," and then 
hear in reply: "Well done, good and faithful servant: because 
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee 
over many things: enter thou into the joy of the Lord" 
(Matt. XXV, 20, 21). Let us pray for the deceased. 



cv 

FOR THE BURIAL OF A PHYSICIAN 

In vain dost thou multiply medicines, there shall be no cure for thee 
(Jer. XLVI, 11). 

"The Most High has given knowledge to men that he may- 
be honoured in his wonders. By these he shall cure and shall 
allay their pains" (Ecclus. XXXVIII, 6). Our departed 
brother has practised the medical profession amongst us for 
many years; he has cured many a disease, allayed many pains, 
yet, though he kept away death from many thresholds, he 
had to succumb to death himself. "The Most High," says 
Holy Writ, "has created medicines but of the earth," but 
He did not give us a remedy for death. Our brother, who 
prolonged many a life with healing medicines, had finally to 
confess: "In vain dost thou multiply medicines, there shall 
be no cure for thee." He who helped many others to an old 
age had to bow to the power of death in the prime of his own 
life. 

"For God made not death, neither has he pleasure in the 
destruction of the living. For he created all things, that 
they might be, and he made the nations of this earth for 
health, and there is no poison of destruction in them, nor 
kingdom of hell upon earth. For justice is perpetual and 
immortal" (Wisd. I, 13-15). In sanctity and justice He 
created the first of human kind, and had they remained just 
they would have remained immortal; but they sinned, and 
through sin death came into the world. "For the wages of 
sin is death" (Rom. VI, 23). "Wherefore, as by one man 
sin entered into this world, and by sin, death, and so death 
passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned" (Rom. V, 12). 

309 



310 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

This explains, my dear friends, why there is no physician 
in this world able to cure all diseases, able to finally defeat 
death, inasmuch as he cannot remove the cause of disease 
and death, which is sin. "But fear not," exclaims St. Augus- 
tine, "all thy diseases shall be cured. They are powerful, 
but thy physician is even more powerful." To the Almighty 
no sickness is past cure, and for the purpose of healing man- 
kind, stricken in its entirety with the disease of sin, there 
descended to earth the divine Physician, Jesus Christ, the 
Son of God, who delivered us from sin by His death on the 
Cross, who thus overcame death and brought us life and im- 
mortality. Of Him the Prophet Isaias foretold: "Surely he 
has borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: but he was 
wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins, the 
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises 
we are healed" (Isa. LIII, 4-5). And Christ Himself says: 
"I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believeth in 
me, although he shall be dead, shall live. And everyone 
that liveth and believeth in me shall not die for ever" (John 
XI, 25, 26). "For by a man came death, and by a man came 
resurrection of the dead, and as in Adam all die, so also in 
Christ all shall be made alive" (1. Cor. XV, 21, 22). 

Such, my friends, is our comfort and hope in sickness, and 
in all sufferings incidental to this earthly life, as well as in 
death, to which we are all subject. No man, be he ever so 
clever, can deliver us from death, because he cannot remove 
the cause, which is sin. Only Christ, the Almighty Physician, 
can deliver us, and He does so. He heals us of sin, He restores 
to us the life of grace. He has overcome death, and, on the 
day of judgment, He will rouse our bodies to everlasting life. 

With this comfort and in this hope died our departed friend, 
duly prepared for a good death. Let us thank our Lord for 
having created medicines for the welfare of men; let us give 



FOR THE BURIAL OF A PHYSICIAN 311 

glory to the Most High for giving to men the knowledge and 
skill to advise us in illness. Let us respect our health; let 
us preserve it with care, and not ruin it by a reckless or even 
a sinful life. "Turn away from sin, and order thy hands 
aright, and cleanse thy heart from all offence; for he that 
sinneth in the sight of his Maker shall fall into the hands of 
the physician" (Ecclus. XXXVIII, 10, 15). 

Our departed friend was an honour to his profession; he 
was skilful and conscientious; but even greater praise for 
him is the tribute of tears devoted to his memory by many a 
poor man, many a poor woman, who can testify to the kind- 
ness of heart of this good man. Let us pray. 



CVI 
FOR THE BURIAL OF A BUILDER 

In my Father's house there are many mansions (John XIV, 2). 

Indeed, my friends, there are many mansions in the house 
of the heavenly Father, not built by a mortal builder, not 
made with mortal hands. And the life in these heavenly 
mansions is happy beyond all expression; there are rest and 
peace, joy and security. "Death shall be no more," says St. 
John, "nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow; for the former 
things are passed away" (Apoc. XXI, 4). 

Even if the house we occupy in this life can withstand rain 
and flood and the winds, there will come a day when we have 
to leave it. They carry our body out of this house and bury it. 
"And only the grave remaineth ," says holy Job (XVII, 1). 

Since then, my dear friends, we must soon leave our earthly 
mansion, since nothing remains for us here in the end but the 
grave, must we not do our utmost to become worthy of ad- 
mittance into the mansions of our Father in heaven? St. 
Chrysostom complains that "to obtain a house here, with 
plenty of light and air, we will readily undergo trouble and 
great expense. How much more does it behoove us to exert 
all our powers to obtain a mansion in heaven, radiant in 
infinite brightness?" 

But we are often slothful: we exert ourselves to acquire 
fine mansions here below, but we are doing nothing to obtain 
even an humble place in heaven. 

What must we do, then, to gain admittance into the eternal 
mansions? The Saviour tells us: "Make unto you friends of 

312 



FOR THE BURIAL OF A BUILDER 313 

the mammon of iniquity, that, when you fail, they may receive 
you into everlasting dwellings" (Luke XVI, 9). This means: 
Use of your abundance to do works of love and charity : these 
good works will be your friends and procure for you the ad- 
mittance into the heavenly mansions. The Lord says: "Not 
everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father, 
who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" 
(Matt. VII, 21). And again: "If thou wilt enter into life, 
keep the commandments" (Ibid. XIX, 17). Here you see, 
my friends, what is required for the reception into the ever- 
lasting mansions. We must do the will of the Lord, as bidden 
by our conscience and by His commandments; we must faith- 
fully perform all our duties; we must avoid sin, and practise 
good works pleasing to God. If we do this, then we are build- 
ing for ourselves a house that is not temporal, but eternal. 

To become worthy of admittance into the heavenly man- 
sions, you must try to sanctify your present life by virtue and 
the fear of God, by works of love and charity, set a good 
example to the members of your house. Be zealous in giving 
glory and praise to God, thus converting your home into a 
temple of the Lord : then you will become worthy of the eternal 
house of God. 

We may hope that our departed brother has been received 
into the eternal mansions, because he was righteous, a faithful 
husband, a good father, and a devout Christian. He endured 
his sufferings with great patience, and died resigned to the 
holy Will of God. Let us pray for the peace of his soul. 



CVII 
FOR THE BURIAL OF A SOLDIER 

Dear friends, it has pleased the Lord to recall your comrade 
from this world. Death unexpectedly invaded your ranks. 
It is a great shock to see a young man in the prime of his life 
overcome by a painful disease, to see his vitality sapped in 
the sick-room, to see him die far from his home and folks. 
He was a good and faithful comrade, a good soldier, conscien- 
tious in the performance of his duties, and much respected 
and beloved: who then can stand at the early grave of this 
fine fellow without sadness and pity? 

But the Lord has so decreed. In His wisdom He giveth 
life or death, whatever is best for us. Since Christ is our life, 
then to die is our gain; we may hope that our departed friend 
has found mercy. He valiantly fought the good fight, under 
the flag of the Cross, and now he has been crowned with 
victory. 

Let his death serve as a solemn caution, especially for you, 
his comrades. Be on your guard, lest the enemy, the destroyer 
of life, death, take you by surprise. You are likely to en- 
counter death any day. Death laughs at weapons and shells, 
at ramparts and trenches, at the science of war and strategy. 
General and private, millionaire and beggar, are lawful prey 
to death. Death is the invincible warrior, and we all shall 
become its victims — one sooner, another later. 

Hence, be on your guard lest you be taken unawares: be 
always prepared for death. Our friend here has by a holy 
preparation snatched victory from death, taken away its 

314 



FOR THE BURIAL OF A SOLDIER 315 

sting, and has entered eternal life and glory. Christ says: 
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh 
not in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John VIII, 
12). "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth 
in me, although he shall be dead, shall live : and everyone that 
liveth and believeth in me, shall not die for ever" (Ibid. XI, 
25, 26). He warns you to-day most earnestly to abandon 
the service of the world and sin, and to enlist under His banner, 
to follow Him, to become a soldier of Christ. He asks of you 
to put on the armour of God, the breastplate of justice, to 
take unto you the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, 
and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, that 
you may be able to resist in the evil day and to stand in all 
things perfect (Eph. VI, 13-17). Oh, do not despise this 
armour! It is the only one to make you invincible. And if 
then your implacable foe, death, should come, and strike you 
down, then all it can do is to kill your mortal body, but your 
immortal soul shall rest in God's care. Death will then be 
the means to take you from the struggle to victory, to the 
glorious freedom of the children of God, to life everlasting. 
Hence, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, do manfully and 
be strengthened. Let all your things be done in charity" 
(1. Cor. XVI, 13, 14). "Neither is there salvation in any 
other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, 
whereby we must get saved " (Acts IV, 12), but the name of 
Jesus Christ, blessed in all eternity. 

May our dear, departed brother rest peacefully in his grave ! 
The Lord be gracious to him and grant him a blessed resur- 
rection on the day of judgment. Amen. Let us pray. 



CVIII 
BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 



Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven (Matt. 
V, 12). 

The deceased, at whose grave we are assembled, was, as 
you all know, for many years a public official; he endeavoured 
to perform faithfully both, the duties of his office and his Chris- 
tian duties. If he could talk to us now, from the grave, he 
would probably warn us of the ingratitude of the world; he 
would urge us not to serve the world, not to rely on worldly 
reward, but to serve in the first place God, whose faithful 
servants are richly rewarded in heaven. Indeed, the world 
will often leave unrewarded the most meritorious works, 
whereas the Lord bountifully rewards any work done for love 
of Him, even the smallest. Even if the world does reward 
its servants, the reward is often not in proportion to the service : 
whilst the Lord abundantly rewards every man for his good 
works. 

The world is ungrateful. This is a daily experience. Great 
services in this world are soon forgotten, if not entirely over- 
looked. Let someone take an active interest in the welfare 
of their fellow-beings, be it as a matter of duty, or moved by 
Christian charity, he will at once meet with malicious criticism 
and insinuations of self-seeking. Moreover, the world is not 
always able to give adequate reward. 

It is different with the Lord. Those who serve Him, who 
keep His commandments, who perform all their duties in 
His honour, who patiently endure all visitations — they need 

S16 



BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 317 

not fear that their services will be forgotten. The Saviour 
assures us that He will not leave unnoticed and unrewarded 
even the drink of water we give the thirsty in the spirit of 
charity. He keeps account of all our acts and steps in His 
service, that they may be rewarded in due time; He is pleased 
even with little things done for the love of Him; He will re- 
ward the mere good intention, if the strength to carry it out 
be lacking. 

The servant of the Lord need not be afraid to reap ingrati- 
tude, for the Lord is just and rewards the good just as un- 
failingly as He punishes the evil. He has the power to re- 
ward His servants superabundantly. "The Lord is rich unto 
all that call upon him,' , says the Apostle (Rom. X, 12), 
and St. John Chrysostom says: "God is infinitely rich: the 
ocean of His bounty is immense and inexhaustible; He could 
create at any moment a world of heavenly and temporal 
possessions with which to reward His servants; even if He 
had as many servants as there are sands on the beach, and 
a hundred thousand times as many, He still would and could 
not lack the means to reward each and all these numerous 
servants superabundantly." Hence, the servant of the Lord 
is certain of a bountiful reward for everything which he has 
done and will do for the love of God. 

2. The world, furthermore, is not able to reward its servants 
adequately for their work. Consider what a man must put 
up with to gain the favour of the world and to keep it. How 
he must work in the sweat of his brow, how he must humble 
himself, how much vexation and abuse he must bear. At 
best he gets an earthly reward, lasting not longer than his 
life. But too often he reaps ignominy rather than reward. 
After his death his services are soon forgotten, and he will 
pass into oblivion. "His memory hath perished with a noise" 
(Ps. IX, 7), with the ringing of the bells at his funeral. 



318 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

Quite different is the reward for the servants of the Lord: 
it is great, immense, as great as the infinite God Himself, for 
He says: "I am thy reward exceedingly great" (Gen. XV, 1). 
Hence, the Saviour says: "Be glad and rejoice, for your re- 
ward is very great in heaven." The greatness of this reward, 
the joy and bliss of the Lord's servants in heaven, are beyond 
the power of human imagination. "Eye hath not seen, nor 
ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what 
things God has prepared for them that love him" (1. Cor. II, 
9) . The Lord rewards His servants even here on earth, giving 
them that sweet joy and the inner peace arising out of the faith- 
ful fulfilling of His commandments, and out of the conscious- 
ness of having done one's duty: a joy and a peace which the 
world can neither give nor take away. "Much peace they 
have that love thy law, and to them there is no stumbling- 
block" and "a secure mind is like a continual feast" (Prov. 
XVI, 15). 

My dear friends, once a faithful servant of a mighty king 
was on his death-bed and he begged of the king a respite of 
only fifteen minutes, that he might make his confession, 
but the king was compelled to admit: "This is beyond my 
power." This is a grace of God. Our deceased friend had 
this grace to receive the holy rites of the Church and to pre- 
pare for a good death. Whether we also shall be granted this 
grace, we cannot know; death comes stealthily, like a thief 
at night. Hence, let us be prepared, by serving not the world, 
which pays with ingratitude, but the Lord, who will reward 
us superabundantly for every service rendered unto Him. 

To gain earthly possessions we spare no effort and exertion; 
should we not even more exert ourselves to merit the glorious 
reward that is in store for God's faithful servants? "An ever- 
lasting labour were not too much to gain an everlasting re- 
ward," says St. Augustine. But the Lord does not exact so 



BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 319 

much of us: He requires of us only to serve Him faithfully 
for the short time of our life. He demands nothing further 
of us than to keep His commandments: "and his command- 
ments are not heavy" (John V, 3). He requires us to avoid 
sin and to practise virtue. And if this should ever be hard 
for us let us raise our eyes and hearts to heaven, and find 
encouragement and comfort in the words of the Saviour: 
"Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven." 
Let us pray for the departed. 



CIX 
BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 

II 

All flesh shall fade as grass and as the leaf that springeth out on a 
green tree. Some grow and some fall off: so is the generation of flesh 
and blood: one cometh to an end, and another is born. Every work that 
is corruptible shall fail in the end: and the worker therefore shall go with 
it (Ecclus. XIV, 18-20). 

In these words of Holy Scripture, my dear friends, the 
transientness of man and of all his works is correctly de- 
scribed. That this fate is awaiting all of us is the lesson we 
should take from this mournful occasion. Our earthly career 
may be long or short; with each day, with each hour, we 
shorten the distance between us and the end of our journey, 
when our soul will leave its earthly mansion, our vitality 
will fade away, our eyes will close, our lips be sealed in 
silence, and our body will become the prey of dissolution. 
"All flesh shall fade as grass and as the leaf that springeth 
out on a green tree." Then our earthly work and doing is 
ended, once and for ever. No longer can then the scientist 
gather knowledge, no longer can the professional man make 
use of his experience, no longer can the official exert his power, 
no longer can the righteous labour for a higher grade of per- 
fection, and, alas, no longer can man do penance for his sins. 
"Every work that is corruptible shall fail in the end: and 
the worker thereof shall go with it." 

At our death it will be a case of "All flesh shall fade as 
grass and as the leaf that springeth out on a green tree. 
Some grow and some fall off: so is the generation of flesh and 

320 



BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 321 

blood: one cometh to an end, and another is born." Noth- 
ing that we should have done, and have failed to do, can be 
done in the hereafter: the night has come, when no man can 
work, nor care for his salvation. Earthly pleasures, too, are 
then gone for ever. For the dead the day of work is over, 
there is no longer sowing time for those asleep in the grave. 
Hence, my dear friends, let us rightly value this life and make 
proper use of it, while it is yet ours. Let us do penance for 
our sins, let us do good deeds, and work out our salvation, 
ere that night cometh when no man can work. 

This aspect of death is sad, but there is another aspect; 
death also makes an end to all troubles, afflictions, and suffer- 
ings of this earth, in which all men are sharing, though in 
different measure. For some the road leading to their desti- 
nation is smooth, for others it is a hard one to travel, yet 
everyone will learn, by his own experience, that the happi- 
ness of earth is neither lasting nor perfect, and many of those 
in this life are staggering under a heavy burden, and in danger 
of breaking down. These sufferings last to the grave only; 
in death all complaints cease, grief and disappointment are 
at an end. Happy he who can look back to a good life, and 
take into the hereafter a treasure of good works; for death is 
followed by the judgment, which will render to everyone 
according to his deeds. Hence, it is written: "With him 
that feareth the Lord it shall go well in the latter end, and in 
the day of his death, he shall be blessed" (Ecclus. I, 13). 
"The just shall live for evermore, and their reward is with the 
Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. There- 
fore shall they receive a kingdom of glory, and a -crown of 
beauty at the hand of the Lord" (Wisd. V, 16, 17). Inas- 
much as everyone of us has to carry his cross, let us carry 
it with patience, and, whenever down-hearted, let us take 
courage in the thought : soon there will be rest after this toil, 



322 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

and peace after this struggle. But to insure to us this rest 
and eternal peace, let us prepare now, whilst there is time, 
for a good death by a good life and by penance. 

We may hope that our departed brother has been rewarded 
at the hand of the Lord with the crown of glory, for his labours 
in the service of God and of the neighbour, for the loyal 
love he devoted to his wife and children, and for his many 
charitable deeds; our hope is warranted because he died 
a holy death, after receiving the holy rites of the Church. 
Let us now pray for the rest of his soul. 






ex 

BURIALS OF OFFICIALS 

III 

I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience (Apoc. II, 2). 

The angel of Death makes no distinction between the dif- 
ferent conditions of life and of age. When he will come to 
knock at our door is hidden to our mind. Hence, we should 
be ready at any hour. The thread of life of some is cut off 
suddenly and unexpectedly; in other instances the separation 
of soul and body takes place slowly. Some go through the 
gate of death quickly, others die a slow death. Some die with 
hardly any pain, whilst others must drain the bitter cup of 
intense agony. Who may tell what our manner of death 
will be? 

Our departed brother died a speedy but good death: the 
sorrow of the family is shared by the whole community, 
which has lost in him one of its best citizens. His active life 
is now concluded, and, in giving thought to his achievements 
I am reminded of the words of the Lord: "I know thy 
works and thy labour and thy patience." 

Since the Lord is watching our doings, and since our works 
will follow us into eternity, the question is proper at this 
grave: What were the works of the deceased, what has he 
done? His unceasing loyalty in administering his office is 
known, also that he never grew weary of his work while able 
to do it. We see, him before us, studying and aiming at 
broadening his knowledge; we see him giving others the bene- 
fit of his vast knowledge, always in a modest and amiable 
way, free from conceit and overbearing. We know how ready 

323 



324 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

he was to further everything good and noble. We know his 
exemplary life in his home circle. He, with his high-minded 
and gentle wife, made their home a truly Christian home: 
he instilled piety and the fear of God in the hearts of his chil- 
dren; he set them a good example by attending regularly the 
church and the Sacraments. The Lord's commandments 
were his inviolable law of life. 

I cannot presume to review here his entire life, nor could I 
give higher praise than is contained in the mentioned quali- 
ties of this truly good man. 

The Lord says: "I know thy patience." Sacrifice and 
patience our friend practised all through his life. He was 
not exempt from great worries, nor from adversities, yet he 
was never heard to make bitter complaint. In his vocation 
he encountered many difficulties, without ever losing his love 
and interest for his task. Visited with physical sufferings of 
various description, he endured them with Christian fortitude 
and patience, never murmuring against the Will of the Lord. 
Thus he gave proof of his great resignation, and there is One 
above us who will say to him: "I know thy patience." 

He has been taken away from the land of the living. He 
has appeared before his Judge, before whose throne we too 
shall stand in that dread hour to come for each of us. We 
hope the Lord has received him in grace. We hope, further- 
more, that the Lord has said to him: "I know thy works and 
thy labour and thy patience. . . . Enter thou into the joy 
of thy Lord, good and faithful servant, I will give thee the 
crown of life." 

He has ascended, we remain here, not knowing at what 
time the Lord shall call us. Let us hope that we also shall be 
prepared. Let us watch and pray, and insure for ourselves a 
blessed death by leading a Christian life. Now we shall pray 
for the deceased. 



CXI 

BURIAL OF A SERVANT 

Stay me not, because the Lord hath prospered my way: send me away 
that I may go to my master (Gen. XXIV, 56). 

Thus spoke Eliezer, Abraham's faithful servant, to the 
mother and brother of Rebecca when they desired to retain 
him. These words may be well applied to him whom we 
have just laid to rest. He was a faithful servant, enjoying 
the confidence of his master. "Stay me not," said he to those 
who would try to keep him from doing his duty. "Stay me 
not," said he to those who would lure him to the way of sin 
and wrongdoing. With the grace of God he resisted evil. 
After long years of faithful service his position became one 
of confidence, and he was treated like one of the family rather 
than like a servant. He was satisfied and happy in his position, 
which he occupied so long in honesty, probity, and loyalty. 
And again, when he realized that death was near, he said: 
"Stay me not, because the Lord has prospered my way: let 
me depart that I may go to my master." Indeed, the Lord has 
prospered his way to the heavenly home; He gave him the 
grace to be resigned to His holy Will, to find forgiveness for 
his sins, and to receive the Holy Viaticum. Now he has 
gone to his Eternal Master, whose Will was his law. 

In life he heeded the Apostle's exhortation: "Servants, be 
obedient to them that are your lords, according to the flesh, 
with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart as 
to Christ: not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, 
but as the servant of Christ doing the will of God from the 

325 



326 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

heart" (Eph. VI, 6). And since in all things he did the Will 
of God we may hope that the Lord has said to him: "Well 
done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been 
faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. XXV, 23). 

Our departed friend is happy. Let this be a sweet consola- 
tion to you in your sorrow. 

We all, my brethren, are servants, namely, servants of the 
Lord, and it is also required of us that we be faithful in our 
service. "What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but 
that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways, and 
love him, and serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and 
with all thy soul, and keep the commandments of the Lord and 
his ceremonies" (Deut. X, 12, 13). If we have not done so, 
we cannot hope, should death surprise us, to enter in the 
joy of the Lord; on the contrary, we must fear to hear the 
awful sentence: "The unprofitable servant cast ye out into 
the exterior darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of 
teeth." Hence, let us do penance whilst there is time for it; 
let us prove ourselves faithful servants, serving God with all 
our heart; lest we forfeit the reward promised by God to His 
faithful servants. Now let us pray that this reward be given 
to our departed friend. 



CXII 
BURIALS OF THE POOR 



I am going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and show thy- 
self a man, and keep the charge of the Lord, thy God (3. Kings II, 3). 

When the God-fearing Tobias felt that his death was nigh, 
he gave to his son this admonition: "Fear not, my son: we 
lead indeed a poor life, but we shall have many good things 
if we fear God and depart from all sin and do that which is 
good" (Tob. IV, 23). Tobias had through adversity become 
poor, but he had saved one thing, his greatest treasure — his 
fear of God and his confidence in God — and this treasure he 
desired to bequeath to his son, to comfort him in the hour of 
parting. 

Happy the man, who, when dying, can leave this comfort to 
those dearest to him, who can leave them such a legacy! 
You, my dear people, are in a similar position. Your earthly 
provider and protector, your father, has departed from this 
land of want and worry; he has gone to the land of the right- 
eous, where there is no want; he has left you orphans, but, 
like the pious Tobias, your father has bequeathed you things 
more precious than wealth, namely, an honest name, the fear 
of God, and a good father's blessing. If you honour this 
inheritance and make good use of it, you will be rich, no matter 
what your position, and God will not leave you, neither will 
He forsake you. But your father has left you another legacy, 
the legacy of every dying man to his sons. It is the legacy 
expressed in King David's last words to Solomon: "I am 



328 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

going the way of all flesh: take thou courage, and show thy- 
self a man, and keep the charge of the Lord, thy God, to walk 
in his ways and observe his ceremonies, and his precepts and 
judgments and testimonies, that thou mayest understand 
all thou dost and whither so ever thou shalt turn thyself" 
(3. Kings II, 2, 3). Let us contemplate for our comfort and 
benefit this spiritual legacy of the dead. 

1. "I am going the way of all flesh," said David to his 
son — the way the son would also sooner or later go, the way 
through the dark gate of death. We, are forcibly reminded 
of our own death when standing at the grave of a departed 
friend. There we see plainly the confirmation of the words in 
Holy Writ : " For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof 
as the flower of the field; the grass is withered and the flower 
thereof is fallen away" (1. Pet. I, 24). "We have not here a 
lasting city, but we seek one that is to come" (Heb. XIII, 14). 
The children of the world, fond of fife and dreading death, do 
not like to listen to such admonitions; yet these admonitions 
are most beneficial and salutary, because we think too seldom 
of death, even though always surrounded by death. If some- 
one we love dearly dies a good death, we may rejoice in the 
certainty that it is within our power to become reunited with 
him. Take this thought and impress it upon your heart for 
your consolation and likewise for your counsel. 

2. "Walk in the ways of God and be wise. Keep the 
charge of the Lord, thy God." This is the best possible ad- 
vice which the dying king could give to Solomon. He does 
not refer him to earthly possessions, but to the fear of God 
and to piety. Words spoken by dying persons are very im- 
pressive for the human heart, and particularly impressive are 
the words of a dying father to his children. Those about to 
die will speak the truth, and these words of David are the 
truth. Who would not desire to be reunited with our departed 



BURIALS OF THE POOR 329 

dear ones? But to accomplish this we must live and die in 
the faith, as they did. Hence, do not let go unheeded the 
silent admonition of your departed father: "And the world 
passeth away and the concupiscence thereof, but he that 
doth the will of God, abideth for ever" (1. John II, 17). Keep 
always in mind the pious example of your father, and let it 
be a holy spiritual legacy to you, as well as counsel and 
encouragement. 

3. " You are under the care of the Lord." This was the con- 
solation David gave to his son, and no better consolation 
could he give him, for, as he said on another occasion, "He 
that dwelleth in the aid of the most High shall abide under 
the protection of the God of Jacob. He shall say to the 
Lord: Thou art my protector and my refuge: my God, in 
him will I put my trust" (Ps. XC, 1, 2). 

The feeling of forsakenness of the survivors, who now 
have to walk alone on their pilgrimage, is the thing which 
makes death so bitter. Happy we, who know ourselves safe 
in the protection of the Most High ! The comfort which every 
man who dies in the fear of God will leave to his survivors is : 
"God will be with you." It is a precious, spiritual legacy, 
that should wipe away the tears and remove care and anxiety. 
If you do not forsake the Lord, He will never forsake you, 
"the Lord is with you if you are with him: if you seek him, 
you shall find him" (2. Paralip. XV, 2). 

Therefore, my children, preserve in your heart the legacy 
of your dear, departed father, and it will prove your conso- 
lation, and your guide to true happiness and salvation. It 
will make easy your own death, when the hour comes, as it 
must come. Do not fail to pray often and with fervour for 
the peace of your father's immortal soul, and let us do this 
now. 



CXIII 
BURIALS OF THE POOR 

II 

But it came to pass that the beggar named Lazarus died and was 
carried by the angel into Abraham's bosom (Luke XVI, 22). 

We are standing, to-day, at the grave of one who, like 
Lazarus, has been in a lowly position all his life. Wanting 
in most things, he had one possession which, alas, many of 
the wealthy have not, namely, a pious and God-fearing mind, 
and he was patient, and resigned to God's holy Will. This 
saintly sentiment he proved also in his sickness, receiving 
repeatedly the holy Sacraments, and preserving his sub- 
mission to God's holy Will unto the last. Hence, we may 
hope that his soul, like the soul of Lazarus, was carried by 
the angels into Abraham's bosom, into heaven. The death of 
a poor and just man, like this, gives us much food for reflec- 
tion. Let us meditate on it for the comfort of all of us, and 
as a lesson and warning for those whom the Lord has blessed 
with earthly possessions. 

1. Poverty is no disgrace when coming from God. God 
creates rich men and poor men, and He metes with different 
measures when distributing His goods, according to His 
wisdom. His Incarnate Son came to earth in poverty and 
want. He had no place where to lay His head. "For you 
know the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ," says the Apostle, 
"that, being rich, he became poor for your sake: that through 
his poverty you might be rich" (2. Cor. VIII, 9). 

2. Poverty is no disgrace, if the poor are faithful to God. 

330 



BUMALS OF THE POOR 331 

Poverty is exposed to many temptations, especially to envy 
and covetousness towards those blessed with wealth, but, on 
the other hand, poverty is a protection against even more 
temptations, temptations that have their origin or occasion 
in luxurious life and idleness. 

3. Poverty is sufficiency, if rich in virtue. There are pos- 
sessions not dependent on the amount of earthly wealth, and 
they are the highest and only enduring possessions. It is easier 
for the poor to acquire these than it is for those of wealth. 
The peace of God, the fear of God, a life in close communion 
with God, a mind turned to the eternal reward, care for the 
salvation of the soul, which is the one thing necessary — all 
these are riches in God, which any poor man may gain, even 
the poorest of the poor. 

4. Poverty is no misfortune, if leading to God. The death 
of the righteous is the gate to the glory of heaven, as it was 
the case with Lazarus, not because he was poor, but because 
he was God-fearing in his poverty. Death does not seem so 
dreadful to the poor as it does to the rich. "Oh death, thy 
sentence is welcome to the man that is in need, and to him 
whose strength faileth" (Ecclus. XLI, 3). Death brings a 
relief and change which a poor man, if pious, will often wel- 
come. His earthly toil is then at an end, heavenly bliss 
begins. 

Happy they who have in the love of God gone through the 
ordeal of poverty on earth. They are rewarded by the Lord 
with joy and glory in abundance. That this glory be soon 
the part of our departed brother, let us pray. 



CXIV 
BURIALS OF UNFORTUNATES 



Oh death, thy sentence is welcome to the man that is in need, and to 
him whose strength faileth: who is in a decrepit age, and that is in care 
about all things, and to the distrustful that loseth patience (Ecclus. 
XLI, S, 4). 

My brethren, death is often accompanied by profound grief 
and sorrow, awaited with anxiety and dread. On the other 
hand, there are those who see in death an angel of peace, 
earnestly to be wished and longed for. For many a weary 
pilgrim it is indeed a blessing to be delivered by death from 
his heavy affliction. Thus says the Holy Scripture: "Oh 
death, thy sentence is welcome to the man that is in need, 
and to him whose strength faileth: who is in decrepit age, 
and that is in care about all things, and to the distrustful 
that loseth patience." 

Death, indeed, becomes a visible blessing for man (1) if his 
mind becomes disarranged. The greatest misfortune that 
can befall man in this life is the serious impairment of his 
mental faculties. In such a condition death becomes a bless- 
ing, delivering the poor, obscured spirit from its awful con- 
dition, and leading it out of its night of reason to the heav- 
enly brightness. 

Death, furthermore, is a blessing (2) when there is no 
relief possible in severe suffering. Medical science cannot 
help in all cases, and for some unfortunates there is no other 
prospect but to suffer misery for the rest of their natural 
lives. In such extreme cases, when the sufferer is beyond all 

332 



BURIALS OF UNFORTUNATES 333 

hope of improvement and recovery, then, of course, death be- 
comes a relief. 

Death is also a blessing (3) when decrepit old age makes 
life a burden. After a long journey the traveller longs for 
rest, and he who has borne the burden of the day wishes for 
the evening to come, when all work ceases. It is a great gift 
of the Lord to be granted a peaceful old age, free from care. 
But if the mind is outlived by the body, when the aged grow 
dull in mind, when life is deprived of clear consciousness, and 
becomes merely a slow process of exhausting the physical 
strength, then the old person is a burden to himself, then 
his death will be a blessing for him. It is a sad fate to outlive 
one's usefulness. Happy, then, the weary traveller when 
relieved by the angel of peace of his fetters, and carried into 
the eternal country! In this case to die is to gain in all 
respects. 

My dear brethren, we who are spared all these evils, that 
make death desirable, owe a debt of deepest gratitude to 
Almighty God. Let us prove our gratitude by practising 
charity towards the poor, the wretched, the unfortunates, and 
trying to make their hard lot more endurable. Let us make 
proper use of our faculties by walking in the fear of God, by 
keeping the commandments, and by endeavouring to become 
rich in virtues and in meritorious deeds; then, no matter 
when death shall overtake us, it will be a blessing for us too, 
because it will take us into our eternal country, where we 
shall be rewarded for our good works. Now let us pray for 
our departed brother, that he may be received into the 
kingdom of glory. 



cxv 

BURIALS OF UNFORTUNATES 

II 

J will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue 
(Ps. XXXVIII, 2). 

My dear friends, at no time is man more inclined to listen 
to the truth about the hereafter than when death furnishes 
him with an object lesson of the transientness of all things, 
and when his heart is in want of consolation. The death of 
our departed friend affords occasion for special consideration, 
because some days before his death he lost the power of 
speech by an apoplectic stroke. It is always a great visitation 
to become suddenly dumb, but when so quickly followed by 
death there is the added misfortune of being rendered unable 
to put one's earthly affairs in order before dying, of being 
unable to confess one's sins in the usual way, and of being 
unable to speak words of admonition and blessing to the 
family. One of the many blessings which we do not duly 
appreciate in life is the gift of speech. It will be to our bene- 
fit to give some thought to this great gift, and to the manner 
in which this occasion should induce you to use it. 

1. David said: "I spoke with my tongue" to give praise 
and glory to the Lord. You, too, dear friends, may yet speak 
with your tongues, speak of the benefits you received from 
the departed; go then and speak to the Lord, and thank Him 
for these benefits, because it was His will and grace that 
made them possible. 

A good father, a faithful mother, are a great blessing for 
children, but we often have a poor memory for benefits re- 

334 



BURIALS OF UNFORTUNATES 335 

ceived. In fact, no benefits are sooner forgotten than those 
received from parents. Do not become guilty of such ingrati- 
tude. Remember the words your father spoke, when he still 
had the power of speech: remember his admonitions and 
his prayers in your behalf. Remember them, and honour his 
memory by making them your rule of life. 

2. May our tongue also speak the prayer of David: "Oh 
Lord, make me know my end and what is the number of my 
days, that I may know what is wanting in me." Man easily 
becomes hardened to many things, even to the thought of 
death. Soldiers are an instance, but also many of those in 
peaceful walks of life. But tell me what would happen to 
your soul if death should suddenly strike you? Then you will 
stand before your Judge and give an accounting of all your 
works, even of secret thoughts and idle words. The world 
often jests at death, but if you value your soul do not be so 
frivolous as to trifle with death. Death is a serious matter, 
involving eternal glory or eternal perdition. Hence, pray 
daily with David to the Lord, that He may fill your hearts 
with salutary thoughts about death, watch your thoughts, 
words, and deeds, beware of sin, practise good works, and 
thus prepare for a good death. 

3. David said: "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin 
not with my tongue." This warns us to beware of sins fre- 
quently committed with the tongue. 

In the sad fate of our departed brother we do not see a pun- 
ishment, but rather a severe visitation, but it would be a 
deserved chastisement for those who habitually sin with 
their tongue and seduce others to sin. 

St. James speaks of the great power of the tongue in these 
words: "For in many things we all offend. If any man offend 
not in word, the same is a perfect man. He is able also with 
a bridle to lead about the whole body. For if we put bits 



336 FUNERAL ADDRESSES 

into the mouths of horses, that they may obey us and we 
turn about their whole body. Behold also ships, whereas 
they are great, and are driven by strong winds, yet are they 
turned about with a small helm, whithersoever the force of 
the governor willeth. Even so the tongue is indeed a little 
member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how small a 
fire kindleth a great wood! And the tongue is a fire, a world 
of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which 
defileth the whole body, and inflameth the wheel of our 
nativity, being set on fire by hell" (III, 2-6). 

Therefore, take heed to your ways, lest you sin with your 
tongue. Do not use your tongue for cursing, nor for slander- 
ing, nor libelling, nor for lying and unkind sayings, nor un- 
chaste words. Use your tongue for the edification of your 
neighbour, for the confession of your sins, for praising and 
thanking God, and for praying. The Lord will then hear 
your sighs in death, even though you may not be able to 
speak with the tongue. 

We may hope that the Lord has heard the penitent prayer 
which the deceased spoke, in his heart, if not with his tongue, 
and in such cases sins are remitted through the Holy Sacra- 
ment of Extreme Unction. May peace everlasting be his part! 
Let us pray. 




*' \ N 111 ^ % 



. > 






p,' 







* 


















fc 









■ \V 









a. 






X 



%*^ 












? '^ 










» is, e> -i. «v 






x ^. 



-> 




